Sweden’s foreign minister announces shock departure from politics

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden’s Foreign Minister Tobias Billström who steered the Scandinavian country through sometimes a bumpy road to NATO membership and stood tall on supporting Ukraine, says he’ll leave the government next week. Billström stunned the political establishment Wednesday by saying on X that he had been consiering the move “for some time.” Billström, who has been foreign minister since 2022, took Sweden through what he called “a sometimes challenging NATO process.” The Scandinavian country became the 32nd member of the military alliance in March. Billström has not announced what he’ll do next and his replacement has not yet been named.