Sweden Thursday became NATO's newest member, dropping its long-standing neutrality and joining the alliance in the wake of Russia's full-scale operation of Ukraine more than two years ago, APA reports citing Politico.
The accession became official in the wake of Hungary submitting its ratification protocol; it was the final one of 31 alliance members to give Sweden the nod.
With Sweden now a full member of NATO, it is covered by the alliance's Article 5, obliging all other members to come to each other's defense if they are attacked.
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After two centuries of neutrality, military non-alignment and two years of negotiations, Sweden officially became NATO's 32nd member on Thursday, a major step for the country that had until then been careful not to provoke Russia’s ire, APA reports citing LuxTimes.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson during a visit to Washington met the head of US diplomacy Antony Blinken to officially hand over the ratification documents. The agreement was hard won after lengthy negotiations with certain members of the alliance.
On Monday, the Swedish flag is set to be raised in front of NATO's Brussels headquarters.
Last week, Russia promised to take “countermeasures” in response to Stockholm’s accession, which will depend on “the conditions and extent of Sweden’s integration into NATO.”
Sweden’s accession, following that of Finland last year, means that all the countries bordering the Baltic Sea, with the exception of Russia, are now members of the Atlantic alliance.
Sweden and Finland, although militarily close to the United States through their membership of the European Union, have historically preferred to remain outside the alliance, which was formed during the Cold War against the Soviet Union.
Although Sweden contributes to international peacekeeping forces, it has not experienced war since a conflict with Norway in 1814.
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