By Matthew Lee and Lorne Cook -
The Associated Press
Sweden formally joined NATO on Thursday as the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality at a time when concerns about Russian aggression in Europe have increased following the invasion. of Ukraine for Russia in 2022.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken presided over a ceremony in which Sweden's “instrument of accession” to the alliance was officially deposited with the State Department.
“Good things take time,” Blinken said.
Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in the country's capital, Stockholm, on August 1, 2023.Caisa Rasmussen / TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images
Kristersson will visit the White House this Thursday and will then be a guest of honor at President Joe Biden's address to Congress on the State of the Union.
The White House indicated that having Sweden as a NATO ally “will make the United States and our allies even safer.”
“NATO is the most powerful defensive alliance in the history of the world, and it is as fundamental today to guarantee the security of our citizens as it was 75 years ago, when it was founded from the remains of World War II,” he said. it's a statement.