STOCKHOLM — With two days to go before Sweden’s knife-edge general election, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has a warning for Europe: Don’t trust the left on defense. 

His country has been almost totally united in its support for Ukraine and in backing the decision — after decades of neutrality — to join NATO two years ago. But speaking to POLITICO in the capital Stockholm, the center-right Moderate party leader argued that Europe should wake up to the security risks of the rival left-wing bloc taking power — which polls suggest may happen. 

Asked what’s at stake for Europe in Sunday’s vote, Kristersson said: “I would say security policy. If the left side would win, two out of three, or two out of four parties voted against the Swedish NATO membership. I mean, that is a real, real thing.” 

He continued: “That means a government that will not be able to make the domestic decisions needed to fulfill our NATO obligations, for example — like spending, like all the missions.” 

Sweden became NATO’s newest member in 2024, the national mood having shifted in favor of taking sides in the face of Vladimir Putin’s territorial aggression in Europe. That decision was “a big thing” for the country of 10.6 million people, which was neutral during both world wars and throughout the Cold War, Kristersson said. 

“But after becoming a member, we have made a NATO-related decision every month in government,” the prime minister added. “And if government is not united, they simply cannot make the decisions.” 

Kristersson speaks to reporters on Sept. 11, 2026 in Stockholm. | Tim Ross/POLITICO

Since becoming a member of the alliance, Sweden has sent hundreds of troops to join a NATO force in Latvia, pledged warships for patrolling the Baltic Sea and deployed Gripen fighter jets to police the skies in the region. 

Asked if he believed support for Ukraine would be in doubt too, Kristersson said: “I hope, really not, because we have been united on Ukraine — with one single exception. The Left Party voted against the very first support package to Ukraine. From that [point] on, eight parties out of eight have been united.” 

Kristersson’s comments follow a pointed intervention from Social Democrat opposition leader Magdalena Andersson, who demanded the PM come clean about his allies’ links to Russia in a POLITICO interview published this week. 

Until recently, Sunday’s upcoming vote seemed like it would be a comfortable victory for Andersson’s Social Democrats and their political allies in smaller parties on the left. But their poll lead shrank dramatically in the past two weeks to as low as 2.6%, within the statistical margin of error.

Far-right friends 

Kristersson’s center-right coalition has been governing for the past four years with the support of the far-right Sweden Democrats. He defended his decision to cooperate with a party opponents claim is too extreme despite its internal efforts to clean up its past neo-Nazi links. 

“I have full respect for the fact that there are eight parties in the Swedish parliament,” said Kristersson. “None of these parties are even close to a majority of their own. If you cannot unite parties on specific topics and ambitions, then you will simply not get anything done at all.” 

Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson, the first woman to serve as Swedish PM, leads the polls. | Tim Ross/POLITICO

Under leader Jimmie Åkesson, the Sweden Democrats are in second place behind Andersson’s Social Democrats in the polls. Åkesson has said he’s eyeing up the chance of becoming prime minister at the next vote, due in 2030. 

If Kristersson returns as prime minister after Sunday’s election, he has said he’s ready to give Sweden Democrat politicians roles as ministers in his government for the first time. It would be a major change for Sweden — and the left-wing bloc has campaigned against it. 

Kristersson suggested that being part of a team would limit the opportunities for any individual ministers to go rogue with extremist policies. 

“In Sweden, we have a collective decision-making process in government,” he said. “I would never say that one minister is not important, but every minister is part of a team that jointly makes all the decisions — so there is very little room for people to play in a role of their own.

“And since I will be the person that is forming that government, and the person that will appoint every one of them, I can guarantee you that it will only be very skilled and experienced and people with good judgment that would be part of my government.”