Sweden formally joined NATO in Washington on Thursday, two years after Russia's military intervention in Ukraine forced the country to rethink its national security policies and conclude that supporting the NATO alliance was the best way for the Scandinavian country to ensure its safety.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson handed over the final documents to the US government on Thursday, the final step in a long process of securing support from member states for the country's bid to join the union.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said when receiving Sweden's application for membership from Mr. Ulf Kristersson: "Patience will bring success."
Mr Blinken said “the landscape has completely changed” after Russia launched its special operations in Ukraine, citing polling results showing a huge shift in Swedish public opinion on joining NATO.
For NATO, the entry of Sweden and Finland – two countries with a 1,340km border with Russia – into the bloc is the biggest development in decades.
Sweden would benefit from the alliance's common defence commitment, which states that any attack on one member state would be considered an attack on all.
“Sweden today is a safer country than Sweden was yesterday,” Mr. Kristersson said in a speech to the Swedish nation from Washington. “We have allies. We have support. We have an insurance policy through the Western defense alliance.”
In a statement, US President Joe Biden said Sweden's accession made NATO "more united, more determined and more resilient than ever before", and that the accession of Sweden and Finland strengthened the alliance with "two mighty armies".
Photo: REUTERS/Tom Little.
Sweden has added several advanced submarines and a significant fleet of domestically produced Gripen fighter jets to NATO forces. The country is also a vital link between the Atlantic and the Baltic Sea.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement: “Sweden's accession makes NATO stronger, makes Sweden safer and makes the entire alliance more secure.”
Russia has warned that it will take "political and military-technical countermeasures" in response to Sweden's decision.
“Joining NATO is like buying insurance, at least as long as the United States is willing to take on the role of insurance provider,” said Barbara Kunz, a researcher at the SIPRI defense research center.
Although Stockholm has been close to NATO for the past two decades, joining NATO this time marks a shift for the government, which for the past 200 years has avoided military alliances and maintained a neutral position in times of war.
After World War II, the country established an international image as a leader in human rights, and since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, successive governments have steadily cut military spending.
Until 2021, the country's defense minister refused to join NATO, but just a few months later, the then-ruling Social Democratic government joined Finland in proposing to join.
“Maybe (Sweden) needs to take a stand and I'm glad we were able to do that and get NATO protection,” said Carl Fredrik Aspegren, 28, a student in Stockholm.
When Finland joined the alliance last year, Sweden was forced to wait while Türkiye and Hungary, two countries with close ties to Russia, delayed ratifying Sweden's request to join.
Türkiye approved Sweden's request last January.
Hungary delayed ratification until Mr Kristersson made a goodwill visit to Budapest on February 23, where the two countries signed the fighter jet exchange deal.
Nguyen Quang Minh
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