Sweden becomes the 32th country to join NATO. What does Putin think?

Andrea Perez

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Both flags, Sweden and NATO

Last March 7th, 2024, Sweden joined NATO when depositing its instrument of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty with the Government of the United States in Washington DC. This Monday, March 11th, Sweden’s flag will be raised alongside those of the other 31 allies in a ceremony in the organization headquarters in Brussels. 

Moreover, this historic event takes place two years after the beginning of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, which could signify an issue for the Russian president, as Finland also joined NATO last year, reinforcing the capacity of the military alliance in the Baltic and North seas and completing what is called the “Nordic Wall”. All of these factors are considered to be able to change the balance of power in Europe. 

Ulf Kristersson, Sweden Prime Minister, said “NATO will defend freedom along with the countries closest to us, both in geographical terms and in terms of culture and values”. Moreover, the NATO’s General secretary, Jens Stoltenberg said “After more than 200 years of non-alignment, Sweden now enjoys the protection granted by Article 5”, which states that if an attack is made against one member, it would mean an attack against all members. 

Ulf Kristersson and Jens Stoltenberg

However, the Russian government has also taken action in this matter, stating that they will be adopting “political and military-technical measures”. They have said nothing more after this. 

Lastly, we must mention that one of the requirements to join this organization is that all former countries must agree on the addition of a new one. This is a matter that Sweden had to face, as Hungary and Turkey did not approve Sweden at first, delaying its entry almost two years. Similar situation occurred with Finland last year.

Source: NATO Official Site