Sweden has officially joined the NATO military alliance, ending decades of neutrality amid soaring concerns about Russian aggression in Europe following the invasion of Ukraine.
“Unity and solidarity will be Sweden’s guiding lights as a NATO member,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in a statement delivered in Washington after a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“We will share burdens, responsibilities and risks with our allies,” he said.
“Good things come to those who wait,” Blinken said as he received Sweden’s accession documents.
“This is a historic moment for Sweden, for our alliance and for the transatlantic relationship,” Blinken said.
At a press conference in Stockholm on Thursday, Sweden’s Minister for Employment and Integration, Johan Pehrson, labelled the accession “a new security policy era for Sweden,” adding that he had personally been waiting for such a decision for 20 years.
Fears of Russian military threat
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24 2022, sparked Sweden and its neighbour Finland – which shares a 1,340 km border with Russia – to apply to join NATO.
