A Swedish security report, dealing among other issues with the consequences of joining NATO, will be published earlier than originally planned, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said in a radio interview on Thursday.
The document, which had been expected on May 31, will now be available on May 13, she said, as Sweden seeks to speed up its decision on whether or not to join NATO.
Sweden was under pressure to reveal its deliberations, Linde said, not least because Finland has already published an analysis of its own potential NATO membership.
However, she said that all short- and long-term aspects would have to be taken into account.
The debate about possible NATO membership has taken on new urgency in both countries in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Finnish report analysed the advantages and the dangers of Finland joining NATO without offering a clear recommendation, however, and is currently being debated in the Finnish parliament.
Support growing
While both countries are close allies of NATO, they are not members, and Russia has warned them against joining. Public support for NATO membership has risen significantly in Finland and Sweden since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
In Sweden, the issue has tended to split voters into three camps of approximately equal size: those in favour, those against, and those undecided.
Now, according to research by the Novus Institute published on Thursday, 51% of those polled support NATO membership, with only 24% against.
