VILNIUS, October 21 (RIA Novosti) - Sweden does not consider Russia's military power to be a direct threat, but must consider strengthening its own military capabilities, Sweden's newly elected Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said Tuesday.
"We do not regard [the increase of Russia's military capacity] as an immediate threat to Sweden but we are following what is happening in the region," Lofven told reporters in Vilnus, adding that Sweden must see "what capacity it needs" in regard to increased military activity in the Baltic Sea.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Swedish prime minister told reporters in Tallinn that Sweden was not interested in joining NATO, but would develop its cooperation with the alliance. He also said that "many parties in the Swedish parliament" agree that Sweden needs to expand its military capacity and put more resources into defense.
When asked what areas of its defense Sweden needs to strengthen, Lofven stated that fighter aircraft and submarines are areas where Sweden "needs to stay strong".
Lofven refrained from commenting on the ongoing operation in the Stockholm archipelago, where Swedish forces are searching for what is believed to be a foreign submarine.
