Sweden joins NATO as 32nd member

After Russian Threat, Sweden Joins NATO as 32nd Member: A Historic Shift from Neutrality

Sweden joined NATO on Thursday, renouncing its neutrality after Russia invaded Ukraine. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson handed over the admission paperwork to the US State Department in Washington, D.C., ending a months-long procedure approved by all NATO countries.


Two years ago, this choice was unthinkable. The Russian threat to surrounding nations outside the alliance prompted a strategic reevaluation. Sweden, neutral in both World Wars, changed its mind as Russian soldiers approached Kyiv in February 2022. Finland, Sweden’s Nordic neighbor, joined NATO in April 2023, drastically increasing its border with Russia.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken received the documents, praising NATO’s almost two-year diplomacy. Sweden’s 200-year-old non-alignment policy, based in the Napoleonic Wars, and the population’s reluctance to join the alliance before Russia’s invasion changed the situation.

PM Kristersson thanked NATO countries for welcome Sweden into the alliance and pledged unity, solidarity, and devotion to NATO’s ideals of freedom, democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of law.

Sweden and Finland joining NATO is a major geopolitical change in reaction to Russia’s aggression. Sweden’s admission was delayed by Turkey and Hungary because to their close ties to Moscow, unlike Finland’s.

Sweden’s request was accepted by Turkey in January, but Viktor Orban’s Hungary postponed ratification. Hungary’s parliament approved Sweden’s membership last month. NATO’s 75th anniversary meeting in July in Washington, D.C., will promote collaboration and security.

This highlights shifting European dynamics and the alliance’s response to geopolitical issues.