Farshid Bagherian, in an interview with the website of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, referring to Sweden’s NATO membership, said: “Sweden’s membership is currently associated with Turkey’s consent, and Hungary also seems to be in favor of Stockholm, but the point is that this support is political so far and we still need to go through completion of the legal aspect which will take some time.

He added that under the status quo, the issue of Swedish membership is not unrelated to the Russia -Ukraine war; in other words, the Russian war with the Western world, both in Europe and the United States. It is important to keep in mind that the United States does not seek Russia’s defeat in this war but is looking for a Russia with crushed bones.

Bagherian emphasized that Russia’s disintegration would be dangerous for the United States, saying: With the collapse of Russia, its largest gas resources in eastern Russia would be dominated by China, and a significant portion of the Chinese population would pour into Russia. This means reducing livelihood and population problems in China. Therefore, I believe that the United States is seeking a war with specific standards with Russia.

He said: In the past two years of the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia has been weakened by the sanctions imposed by the US and Europe. Meanwhile, the cost of war has also made Russia a weak player in the region and the world. Therefore, Moscow is under heavy pressure. Now, with Sweden and Finland’s membership in NATO and some propositions for possible Ukrainian membership in NATO, the conditions for Russia will become much more complex.

The United States has more than 13 military bases in Sweden and has used them on different occasions. Still, with Sweden joining NATO, they could supply the US with long-range bomber aircraft that could reach Vladivostak.

Bagherian said the European Union, along with the US, is trying to increase pressure on Russia from different directions. Still, it is important to note that the United States is not as eager as Europe to see the collapse of Russia. The United States is trying to ensure the sale of its military weapons by introducing more countries from Europe into NATO. Moreover, weakening the EU is among the long-term US goals. The United States welcomed the breakup and separation of different parts of Europe, politically and financially, as it welcomed Britain’s departure from the European Union.

Referring to climate change worldwide and ice melting in the Arctic, he said: “With the start of the phenomenon of ice melting in the North Pole, vast sources of oil, gas, precious metals and so on have been discovered in Sweden and with Sweden joining NATO  in practice, space is provided for the US that is in a better position to use the resources. In the meantime, large American companies have already started competing for a presence in related projects.

Concerning Russia’s reaction to Sweden’s NATO membership, the analyst said: “Putin recently made allegations about the land of Alaska to the effect  that Alaska’s sale in 1867 as the largest US state was illegal and cheap.” The European affairs analyst said. The Russians appear to be looking for Alaska, not wanting to take the land back but having an eye on the massive underground resources in the region.

Bagherian continued: Sweden’s verbal threat and some claims about Alaska were only reactions. Russia’s bargaining chip in the current situation, which is about two years after the Ukrainian war, is two things: the vast territory of Russia and the underground resources and the other is nuclear weapons. Today, Russia can compete with the United States only through nuclear war, but it is unlikely to work in other areas, mainly production and economics.

He said: “It is unlikely that the membership of Sweden and even Finland and Ukraine will incite Russia enough to enter into military confrontation with the US and Europe.” Now, the US and Russia are like two Samurais who have drawn their sword and just look at each other. It seems that Russia and Ukraine have reached an almost equal position in the war, which increases the likelihood of a ceasefire and the two sides sitting at the negotiating table. Hence, Russia’s response in this regard is not tough. It must also be noted that Russia has exposed everything in its fist, and there is no threat that it has not fulfilled.

The European analyst continued: Europeans have been able to solve their gas supply problems relatively, and if they can find a substitute for Russian gas for a long time, Russian and EU gas equations will change, although this is not an easy task for Europeans. But they are seriously looking for it. One of the reasons for the European support for the Israeli regime in the Gaza case is the supply of part of the European gas by the Zionist regime, and one of those who may welcome the continuation of the Gaza war is Putin because if Israeli gas reaches Europe again, there will be more pressure on Moscow.