SWEDEN is not yet an official NATO member but is actively supporting the alliance’s military activities.
The Nordic country plans to send around 600 to 800 troops to Latvia to serve as a first line of defense against a potential Russian invasion of the Baltic states including Estonia and Lithuania.
Initial reports stated Sweden might send its battalion to Latvia in early 2025.
NATO has stationed an estimated 1,000 soldiers in each of the three Baltic states since the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Sweden’s military presence in Latvia shows its commitment to support NATO despite not being an official member yet.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban faces increasing pressure from NATO allies and U.S. lawmakers to approve Sweden’s membership to the alliance.
This came after Turkiye’s general assembly approved the Nordic country’s NATO membership bid last month.
