Moscow - Saba:
Russia's Ambassador to Sweden, Sergei Belyaev, on Saturday said bilateral political contacts between Russia and Sweden had been frozen at Stockholm's initiative, noting that trade between the two countries was declining.
Sputnik quoted Belyaev as saying, "Our bilateral political contacts were frozen at the initiative of the Swedish side."
He added, "The volume of trade is steadily declining, and scientific, cultural, and sports exchanges, which were supposed to be immune from the influence of the geopolitical situation, have fallen to zero."
Sweden, rooted in the Western model not only culturally and historically, but also institutionally as a member of the European Union and a NATO member for over a year, is carefully and cautiously implementing anti-Russian directives at the national level.
Belyaev explained that "the main goal of international relations between Russia and Sweden is now to maintain a mutual diplomatic presence," suggesting that Sweden would likely take steps to improve bilateral relations, as it was the first to reduce them.
Sweden joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on March 7, 2024.
For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin previously emphasized that NATO countries view the Far North as a launching pad for potential conflicts. He emphasized that Russia would respond to the participation of Sweden and Finland in NATO activities, would not allow any infringement on its sovereignty, and would protect its interests.
It is worth noting that NATO is the primary supplier of weapons to Ukraine, in line with its hostile approach to Russia and its ongoing efforts to destabilize it. According to its geopolitical approach, it considers Russia "its main enemy on the European continent and globally."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov previously indicated that the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine, "not only by supplying weapons, but also by training military personnel in Britain, Germany, Italy, and other countries."
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