A detailed analysis of the f oF2 data at the Sverdlovsk station is performed to answer the question: whether the long-term trends of the F2-layer parameter detected recently are mainly due to the long-term changes in geomagnetic activity during the recent decades. Two methods to derive trends independent of geomagnetic activity are developed. It is found that both methods agree well and give a relative nongeomagnetic trend of about - 0.0015 per year (or an absolute nongeomagnetic trend of about - 0.015 MHz per year). The close relation of <i>fo</i>F2 to <i>Ap</i> found by several authors is mainly due to a high correlation between the <i>fo</i>F2 deviations from the regression line and year-to-year changes in the <i>Ap</i> index rather than to systematic long-term changes of <i>Ap</i> as has been suggested earlier.<br><br><b>Key words. </b>Ionosphere (ionospheric distances; modeling and forecasting)