Statement from the Prime Minister in response to US tariffs

It was our friends in the United States who once showed us the way in Europe. The ultimate symbol of this was when America saved Western Europe from Nazism and communism during and after the Second World War. They defended freedom on our continent.

And when that same freedom was also applied to our economies, our societies became richer. People saw their lives improve. Parents saw their children enjoy a future they themselves had hardly dared to dream of.

Mutual cooperation through free trade has contributed to peace, technological progress and the reduction of global poverty. Yes, all of humanity is better off. Free enterprise and competition have laid the foundations of the West’s success. That’s why Americans can listen to music on Swedish Spotify and we Swedes can listen to the same music on our American iPhones.

This is why I deeply regret the path the US has embarked upon, seeking to limit trade with higher tariffs. We don’t want growing trade barriers. We don’t want a trade war. That would make our populations poorer and the world more dangerous in the long run.

But – Sweden and the Swedish Government are well prepared for what’s happening now. We stand on solid economic ground, with world-class public finances.

And in the EU, I will continue to take every opportunity to reverse these developments. My hope, and our goal, is that we will be able to contain the new US tariffs.

We want to find our way back to a path of trade and cooperation together with the US, so that people in our countries can enjoy a better life. Sweden will continue to stand up for free trade and international cooperation.