Sweden: "No Longer a Country That Cannot Be Trusted"

War, cross-border conflict, and geopolitical upheaval are rarely considered good for business.

Finland and Sweden applied for membership in the Western defense alliance NATO in May 2022, just three months after the winter invasion. I Photo: Saab Facebook

Yet, that appears to have been the effect of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on two of its western neighbors—Finland and Sweden.

Rather, it was the two Nordic nations' response to the invasion that transformed fear into hope, as Jorn Madslien reported for BBC News. Both countries applied for membership in the Western defense alliance NATO in May 2022, just three months after the winter invasion.

Less than three years later, they are both full members and already reaping the benefits in terms of national security and economic opportunities.

"We're no longer a country that cannot be trusted," observes Micael Johansson, chief executive of Swedish defense company Saab, referring to Sweden’s historic neutrality.

He notes that in the year since Sweden joined NATO in March 2024, Saab has already negotiated framework agreements with the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), the body responsible for organizing the alliance's defense contracts.

Johansson adds that it is now much easier to gain insight into NATO’s inner workings. "We couldn't access NSPA before," he says.

Jukka Siukosaari, Finland's Ambassador to the UK, agrees. "Being part of NATO puts us on an equal footing with all the other allies. It expands opportunities for Finnish companies in the defense sector and beyond."