Sweden Joins NATO to Complete Alliance’s Nordic Expansion
- Entry finalized after months of hold up by Turkey, Hungary
- Sweden boosts NATO’s grip on Baltic Sea amid Russian threat
Sweden became the 32nd member of NATO, completing the defense alliance’s historic enlargement into the Nordic region, nearly two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted the membership bid.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson handed Sweden’s accession document to Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the US State Department on Thursday, marking its formal entry into the alliance. The country’s flag will be raised over the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s headquarters in Brussels on Monday.