Sweden officially joins NATO, prime minister declares it a 'safer country'

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center, receives the NATO ratification documents from Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson as Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom applauds during a ceremony at the US State Department in Washington, DC, on March 7, 2024. © Andrew Caballer-Reynolds, AFP

Sweden on Thursday formally joined NATO as the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality as concerns about Russian aggression in Europe have spiked following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Secretary of State Antony Blinken presided at a ceremony in which Sweden’s “instrument of accession” to the alliance was officially deposited at the State Department in Washington.