Sweden's flag is raised in ceremony at NATO HQ cementing Nordic country's ... trends now
Sweden's flag was raised in a ceremony at NATO headquarters on Monday in a fresh blow to President Putin two years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The move has cemented Sweden's place as the 32nd member of the alliance after it was forced to seek safety under the alliance's security umbrella.
Under a steady rain, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Crown Princess Victoria and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg looked on as two soldiers raised the blue banner emblazoned with a yellow cross among the official circle of national flags at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels.
Sweden's leader said: 'The Russian, brutal, full-scale invasion against Ukraine united Sweden behind the conclusion that a full-fledged NATO membership is the only reasonable choice,'
Sweden set aside decades of post-World War II neutrality when it formally joined NATO on March 7.
Under a steady rain, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson looked on as two soldiers raised the country's flag, cementing its place as a member of NATO
Sweden set aside decades of post-World War II neutrality when it formally joined NATO on March 7
It is now the 32nd member of the alliance and will benefit from Articel 5 - a vow that an attack on one member will be met by a response from all
The neighboring nation of Finland had already joined in April 2023 in another historic move ending years of military nonalignment.
Mr Kristersson delivered his bold speech in front of Swedish government ministers and party leaders from across the political spectrum who attended in a show of national unity.
Finland's defense ministry welcomed 'our brothers and sisters in arms,' saying on X, formerly Twitter, that 'now we stand at the beginning of a new era. Together and with other allies in peace, in crisis and beyond.'
Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to order troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022, triggered new fears in both countries and within three months they had applied to join the world's biggest security organization.
Putin claimed to have launched the war, at least
