Sweden’s Supreme Commander Michael Claesson raises his voice against Donald Trump and calls for a reprioritization: less Middle East, more Ukraine. The criticism concerns the United States’ newly launched war in Iran, which Claesson believes could “drag on.” At the same time, he does not think the war in Ukraine has gone on too long and wants it to be intensified further rather than ended.
Speaking from Sweden’s embassy in the USA ahead of his meeting with the American defense chief Dan Caine, Claesson shares his view on the situation. His message is that the US engagement in Iran risks becoming protracted—“quite a long time,” as he puts it—and could therefore steal focus from Ukraine.
The reasoning follows a clear line: the more war equipment directed at the Middle East, the less there is to send to Ukraine. A split focus in the West therefore weakens Ukraine’s defensive capabilities. This benefits Putin, Claesson argues.
Supreme Commander: “This is genuinely bad”
According to the Supreme Commander, the war in Iran is also causing rising oil prices—which further benefits Putin through increased revenue. Claesson points out that the Russian economy is strengthening at the same time as the country has already ramped up its war production with more missiles and advanced drones.
Overall, the Supreme Commander describes the situation in a statement to Swedish national radio as “extremely not good”—the West is burning through resources, while Russia is filling both its treasury and weapons arsenal.
– The more advanced anti-aircraft ammunition is consumed in the Middle East, the worse the conditions become to support Ukraine, says the Supreme Commander, and continues:
– It is genuinely bad that we are seeing this development. It is extremely important that Europe and the West, and other countries supporting Ukraine, actually continue to do so, because Ukraine can still end this conflict in a favorable way. That is my absolute assessment.
Long-lasting is a relative concept
The risk that the war in Iran could become drawn out is highlighted by the Supreme Commander as a concern. At the same time, the war in Ukraine has now been going on for over four years, with significant loss of life and enormous material destruction.
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Here, Claesson views the time aspect differently. Instead, pressure should be further increased. In contrast, Trump has signaled that the prolonged war must come to an end and has taken the initiative for peace negotiations.
“Can’t Pretend Bad Cooperation”
Despite political tensions between the USA and its allies, not least during the Trump administration, Claesson wants to play down any potential cracks in military cooperation.
He notes that he cannot “pretend bad military cooperation” and describes the relationship as still strong and functional—a statement indicating that the military machinery keeps rolling, no matter what is said on the political stage.
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