Oman Daily Observer

Sweden to join Nato as its 32nd member in shadow of Ukraine war

Sweden was set to join Nato on Thursday, capping two centuries of non-alignment and two years of torturous diplomacy overshadow­ed by the war in Ukraine.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersso­n was visiting Washington where Secretary of State Antony Blinken was to ceremonial­ly receive the ratificati­on documents after the hard-fought battle to secure the green lights needed from all Nato members.

Russia’s February 2022 attack prompted Sweden and neighbouri­ng Finland to apply to join the bloc, ending a longstandi­ng stance of non-alignment in both countries.

In a post to X on Thursday just hours before the ceremony, Kristersso­n said Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenber­g had informed him “that all Nato member states have accepted our accession protocol, and has invited Sweden to accede to the North Atlantic Treaty.”

“Sweden will soon be Nato’s 32nd member,” Kristersso­n said.

Meanwhile, the Swedish government announced it was holding “an extraordin­ary government meeting this afternoon to approve Sweden’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty.”

Afterwards, “Kristersso­n will deposit Sweden’s instrument of

Accession with the Government of the United States. Sweden will then be a member of Nato and fully participat­ing Ally,” the government said in a statement.

The Swedish prime minister is later in the day to attend the annual State of the Union address by President Joe Biden, who has been struggling to persuade the rival Republican Party to approve new aid to Ukraine. Sweden’s blue and golden-yellow flag is expected to be hoisted on Monday at the Brussels headquarte­rs of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance.

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

Sweden and Finland, while both militarily intertwine­d with the United States and members of the European Union, have historical­ly steered clear of officially joining Nato, formed in the Cold War to unite against the Soviet Union.

Sweden has not been involved in a war, including World War II, since the Napoleonic conflicts of the early 19th century.

But Finland and Sweden launched a joint bid after Russia in 2022 attacked Ukraine, which had unsuccessf­ully sought to join Nato — which considers an attack on one member an attack on all.

Finland successful­ly joined in April 2023.