WASHINGTON, Dec 6, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - The United States and Sweden on Tuesday

signed a first-ever defense cooperation agreement that will strengthen
military ties and permit bilateral exercises as the Scandinavian nation
awaits accession to NATO, authorities said.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin signed the agreement with Swedish Defense
Minister Pal Jonson, the Pentagon said.

The defense pact paves the way for "US forces to operate in Sweden, including
the legal status of US military personnel, access to deployment areas (and)
prepositioning of military materiel," a Pentagon statement said.

The two "agreed on the importance of continued robust support to Ukraine in
the face of Russia's illegal and full-scale invasion," it added.

Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine spooked long-neutral Finland and
Sweden, and both nations applied to join the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization.

Finland acceded to the defense alliance in April, while Sweden awaits
approval from treaty members Turkey and Hungary.

The new US-Sweden defense pact "will apply seamlessly before and after
Sweden's accession" to NATO, a State Department statement said, adding that
Sweden "is a strong, capable defense partner that champions NATO's values."