Sweden on Thursday became the 32nd member of NATO in the shadow of

Sweden on Thursday became the 32nd member of NATO in the shadow of
[1]Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, turning the page on two centuries of
non-alignment and capping two years of tortuous diplomacy.

Days after Hungary followed key holdout Turkey and became the last NATO
member to sign off, Sweden ceremonially handed over accession documents
to the US, the leading force of the transatlantic alliance that
promises joint security for all.

“It is a major step but, at the same time, a very natural step,”
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said at the State Department.

“It’s a victory for freedom today. Sweden has made a free, democratic,
sovereign, and united choice to join NATO,” he said.

He later delivered a televised address to the nation from Washington,
telling Swedes: “We are a small country, but we understand more than
most the importance of the greater world beyond our borders.”

President Joe Biden , whose rival Donald Trump has disparaged NATO as
unfairly burdening the US, said in a statement that the alliance was
stronger and “more united, determined, and dynamic than ever” with
Sweden.

The Swedish prime minister was set later Thursday to attend the annual
State of the Union address by Biden, who has been struggling to
persuade Trump’s Republican Party to [2]approve new aid to Ukraine.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said few would have expected Sweden
as well as Finland to join NATO before Russian President Vladimir Putin
[3]ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

There is “no clearer example than today of the strategic debacle that
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has become for Russia,” Blinken said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also hailed Sweden’s membership,
saying: “One more country in Europe has become more protected from
Russian evil.”

Sweden has not fought in a war since the Napoleonic conflicts of the
early 19th century.

Sweden and Finland, while militarily intertwined with the US and both
members of the European Union, had historically steered clear of
joining NATO, formed in the Cold War to unite against the Soviet Union.

Finland and Sweden [4]launched a joint bid quickly after the invasion
of Ukraine, which itself had unsuccessfully sought to join NATO – an
alliance that under Article 5, considers an attack on one member an
attack on all.

‘Those Who Wait’

Finland [5]successfully joined in April 2023, but Sweden’s membership
[6]was stalled by Turkey.

“Good things come to those who wait,” Blinken said as he received the
documents from Sweden. “Some doubted we’d get here; we never did.”

Russia has vowed “countermeasures” over Sweden’s entry into NATO,
especially if the alliance’s troops and assets deploy in the country.

Sweden’s blue and yellow flag is expected to be hoisted on Monday at
the Brussels headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance.
Swedish soldiers Swedish soldiers in formation. Photo: AFP

Other NATO allies hailed the expansion. British Prime Minister Rishi
Sunak called NATO “the most successful defensive alliance in history”
and Germany’s foreign ministry said of Sweden, “It’s good to know you
are firmly by our side.”

Before agreeing to ratify membership, Turkey used its leverage to press
Sweden, known for its liberal asylum policies, to [7]crack down on
Kurdish militants who have campaigned against Ankara.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later demanded action after
protesters, enjoying Swedish laws on free speech, [8]desecrated Islam’s
holy book the Koran.

In a clear if unstated sweetener, the US dangled F-16 warplanes to
Turkey, which has faced the [9]wrath of US sanctions over a major
military purchase from Russia.

The Biden administration in January [10]approved $23 billion in F-16
warplanes to Turkey swiftly after it ratified Sweden’s membership.

The US simultaneously pushed ahead with $8.6 billion in [11]more
advanced F-35 jets for Greece, a fellow NATO member and historic
adversary of Turkey.

Even with Turkey’s blessing, Sweden [12]faced another obstacle as it
needed approval of a last country – Hungary, whose nationalist prime
minister, Viktor Orban, has often thumbed his nose at Western allies.

The Hungarian parliament ratified Sweden’s membership on February 26.
But in one last hiccup, Hungary could not sign the accession document
due to a brief absence in the mostly ceremonial post of president,
after an Orban ally resigned over pardoning a convicted child abuser’s
accomplice.

References

1. https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/06/01/russia-destroyed-ukraine-warship/
2. https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/12/19/us-aid-ukraine-expiring/
3. https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/02/23/russia-military-operation-ukraine/
4. https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/05/18/finland-sweden-applications-nato/
5. https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/05/29/finland-air-exercise-nato/
6. https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/12/21/turkey-fumes-sweden-nato-membership/
7. https://www.thedefensepost.com/2024/01/15/turkey-kurdish-terrorist-targets/
8. https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/01/31/hungary-sweden-stupidity-nato/
9. https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/12/15/russia-condemns-us-sanctions-turkey-s-400/
10. https://www.thedefensepost.com/2024/01/29/us-f16-sale-turkey/
11. https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/07/20/greece-approaches-us-f-35-program/
12. https://www.thedefensepost.com/2024/02/26/hungary-ratifies-sweden-nato/