Sweden on Thursday formally joined NATO as the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality and centuries of broader non-alignment with major powers as security concerns in Europe have spiked following Russia\u2019s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. President Joe Biden congratulated Sweden on its admission and said it was a sign that Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s intervention in Ukraine had united, rather than divided, the alliance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Putin launched his brutal war of aggression against the people of Ukraine, he thought he could weaken Europe and divide NATO,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cInstead, in May 2022, Sweden and Finland \u2013 two of our close partners, with two highly capable militaries \u2013 made the historic decision to apply for full NATO membership,\u201d Biden said. \u201cWith the addition of Sweden today, NATO stands more united, determined, and dynamic than ever \u2013 now 32 nations strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson was a guest of honour Thursday evening at Biden\u2019s State of the Union address to Congress, where the president welcomed him to \u201cthe strongest military alliance the world has ever seen.\u201d Earlier Thursday, Kristersson and Secretary of State Antony Blinken presided at a ceremony in which Sweden\u2019s \u201cinstrument of accession\u201d to the alliance was officially deposited at the State Department.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a historic moment for Sweden. It\u2019s historic for the alliance. It\u2019s historic for the transatlantic relationship,\u201d Blinken said. \u201cOur NATO alliance is now stronger, larger than it\u2019s ever been.\u201d \u201cToday is truly a historic day,\u201d Kristersson said. \u201cWe are humbled, but we are also proud. We will live up to high expectations from all NATO allies. United we stand. Unity and solidarity will be Sweden\u2019s guiding light.\u201d NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also described it as \u201ca historic day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSweden will now take its rightful place at NATO\u2019s table, with an equal say in shaping NATO policies and decisions,\u201d he said in a statement. The Swedish flag will be raised outside the military organization\u2019s headquarters in Brussels on Monday. Stoltenberg underscored that the Nordic country \u201cnow enjoys the protection granted under Article 5, the ultimate guarantee of allies\u2019 freedom and security.\u201d<\/p>\n
Article 5 of NATO\u2019s treaty obliges all members to come to the aid of an ally whose territory or security is under threat. It has only been activated once \u2013 by the U.S. after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks \u2013 and is the collective security guarantee that Sweden has sought since Russia invaded Ukraine. \u201cSweden\u2019s accession makes NATO stronger, Sweden safer and the whole alliance more secure,\u201d Stoltenberg said. He added that the move \u201cdemonstrates that NATO\u2019s door remains open and that every nation has the right to choose its own path.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sweden, along with Finland, which joined NATO last year, both abandoned the long-standing military neutrality that was a hallmark of the Nordic states\u2019 Cold War foreign policy after Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. Biden, in his speech to Congress, stepped up calls for reluctant Republicans to approve stalled military assistance to Ukraine as the war enters its third year. \u201cIf anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine, I assure you he will not,\u201d Biden said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Ukraine can stop Putin. Ukraine can stop Putin if we stand with Ukraine and provide the weapons it needs to defend itself.\u201d Biden and his NATO counterparts have vowed that Ukraine will join NATO one day, too. Sweden\u2019s membership had been held up due to objections by NATO members Turkey and Hungary.<\/p>\n
Turkey expressed concern that Sweden was harboring and not taking enough action against Kurdish groups that it regards as terrorists, and Hungary\u2019s populist President Viktor Orban has shown pro-Russian sentiment and not shared the alliance\u2019s determination to support Ukraine. After months of delay, Turkey ratified Sweden\u2019s admission earlier this year, and Hungary did so this week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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