Sweden became the 32nd member of NATO, Russia perceived this step as a threat
Sweden officially joined NATO and became the 32nd member of the association. The corresponding statement was published by the government office of the kingdom. Under the terms of the North Atlantic Treaty, a state is officially considered a member of NATO after the United States government receives instruments of ratification for the state's entry into the alliance. By the evening of March 7, all NATO member countries sent letters to Washington.
Sweden's accession to NATO will strengthen the alliance in Northern Europe and the Baltics
Sweden's accession to NATO is expected to significantly strengthen the defense capabilities of the Scandinavian and Baltic countries that are part of the bloc. In particular, NATO control over the Baltic Sea will be strengthened.
The Baltic Sea becomes a NATO inland lake
In Russia, Sweden's decision was called a security threat
The Federation Council stated that after Sweden joins the alliance, Russia will perceive the country as a threat to its security. According to Vice-Speaker of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev, the kingdom’s entry into NATO is one of the most reckless and short-sighted decisions in the entire history of Sweden. At the same time, the Federation Council noted that Sweden’s accession to the alliance was not unexpected for Russia, and the country will take measures in response to the expansion of the military bloc, strengthening the Western grouping of its troops.
Sweden has quite a serious military force on the continent and its neutrality for many years ensured the balance of power both in the Baltic Sea and in Europe in general
Russian President Vladimir Putin also warned about such a reaction from Russia. Thus, in response to Finland’s accession to NATO, two new military districts were created in Russia: Leningrad and Moscow.
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Sweden faced a number of obstacles on its way to the alliance
Sweden has applied to join the alliance in 2022 as Russia launches a special military operation in Ukraine. In parallel with Sweden, Finland submitted an application to join the bloc, which managed to become a NATO member much earlier than Sweden.
Initially, Turkey was against Sweden's entry into the alliance, since Stockholm refused to extradite representatives of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) wanted in Turkey to Ankara, citing political motivation for the extradition request. Turkey, in turn, accused party representatives of terrorism and refused to ratify Sweden's application to join NATO without Sweden extraditing members of Kurdish groups.
Sweden's entry into the bloc was also delayed due to the burning of the Koran in Stockholm, which negatively affected relations between the two states. However, Turkey later ratified Sweden's membership in the alliance without Stockholm fully complying with Ankara's conditions.
Hungary became the last NATO country to ratify Sweden's accession to the bloc. Initially, the decision to ratify was blocked by the faction of the ruling party “FIDES – Hungarian Civil Union”. Sweden's application was ratified by the Hungarian parliament after Prime Minister Viktor Orban called for it.
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