International

Sweden officially becomes the 32nd member state of NATO

Sweden will formally join NATO as early as Thursday, two officials with knowledge of the plan told POLITICO.

The exact time of entry depends on Hungary’s pace of registering its confirmation of Sweden’s bid in Washington.

A flag-raising ceremony has been scheduled at alliance headquarters on the outskirts of Brussels at noon on Monday to ceremonially mark the accession, the officials said.

Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Foreign Minister Tobias Billström are traveling to Washington today. Sweden's accession documentation will be officially deposited at the U.S. State Department, formally ending the process.

Sweden cleared the final hurdle to become the 32nd ally last week, after Hungary — the last holdout among member countries — held a parliamentary vote to approve the bid. The new president, Tamás Sulyok, signed it into law on Tuesday, immediately after being inaugurated.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has maintained contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin in defiance of Western pressure, withheld approval of Sweden's bid for more than 600 days.

Turkey also slow-walked Sweden's accession on the grounds that it was not tough enough against the Kurdish minority living in the country.

Sweden's accession will be a strategic blow to Moscow. It turns the Baltic Sea into a NATO lake, making it much easier for the alliance to keep track of Russia's naval movements. Sweden also has a well-armed military and an advanced arms industry.

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