In a big move, Sweden has finally joined Finland in announcing that it would formally seek North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership, ending decades of military neutrality by the Nordic countries.
Sweden’s announcement comes a day after Russia reiterated its warning and cautioned countries looking to join NATO of ‘military and technical repercussions’.
“The government has decided to inform NATO that Sweden wants to become a member of the alliance,” Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson announced. “Sweden’s NATO ambassador will shortly inform NATO.”
The parliaments of Finland — which shares an 800-mile border with Russia and announced its intention on Sunday — and Sweden are expected to vote this week on formally requesting membership in the 30-nation bloc.
Stockholm and Helsinki’s westward turn was prompted by Putin’s launch of what the Russian leader called a “special military operation” on Feb. 24.
Last week, Russia threatened to use hypersonic nuclear missiles to strike Finland, Britain, and the US after Finnish President Sauli Niinisto informed Putin of his country’s decision to ask to join NATO.
Niinisto and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin called Sunday’s announcement a “historic day” for the nation of 5 million people.
“When we look at Russia, we see a very different kind of Russia today than we saw just a few months ago,” Marin said. “Everything changed when Russia attacked Ukraine. And I think that we cannot trust anymore that there will be a peaceful future next to Russia.”
Meanwhile, US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) predicted Monday that Congress would ratify Finland’s NATO application with near-total support by August.
“With regard to the size of the vote, it will be very significant. Not unanimous, but very significant,” McConnell told reporters in Helsinki.
All 30 members of NATO must approve the addition of a new member, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already expressed skepticism about allowing Sweden and Finland to join.
