Swedish defense minister calls for Europe to shift from 'peacetime mindset' to 'wartime readiness'

BERLIN

Sweden's Defense Minister Pal Jonson urged European nations Tuesday to abandon their "peacetime mindset" and adopt "wartime readiness" amid growing concerns about Russia's military capabilities and intentions.

Speaking in Berlin before meeting with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, Jonson warned about Russia's significant military buildup.

He highlighted major advances in long-range weapons and electronic warfare, as well as increasing provocations toward NATO allies.

"We need to adopt a new European mindset, from a peacetime mindset to a wartime readiness," he said during a panel discussion at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, which is affiliated with Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU party.

Jonson also called for stronger bilateral defense cooperation between Sweden and Germany.

His remarks followed recent accusations from several NATO allies—including Estonia, Latvia, Poland, and Romania—of Russian airspace violations by warplanes and drones.

On Monday evening, Copenhagen and Oslo airports temporarily suspended operations after multiple unidentified drone sightings in their airspace.

During the Berlin panel discussion, Jonson also called for stronger European support for Ukraine, citing intensified Russian offensive operations in recent weeks, according to German press agency DPA.

"We see Ukraine as the shield—or the sword, if you want to—against Russian military expansion," he told the panel. "But right now, we're also seeing that the burden of supporting Ukraine financially is also carried by fewer and fewer allies within NATO.”