[chernevik]

> Which is tantamount to a direct attack on NATO.

NATO's most important member is the US, which isn't party to these European agreements. The same escalation risks that preclude the US fighting for Ukraine would probably prevent the US from fighting for Sweden.

Sweden has to join NATO to get the unambiguous commitment of the US, and to put the decision of running escalation risks on the Russian side.

[ClumsyPilot]

Strictly speaking, EU military assets would be sufficient to defend Europe if marshalled in a unified manner.