It’s taken nearly two years of political jousting and a war of words with multiple member states – not to mention a series of menacing threats from Vladimir Putin.
But Sweden has now formally joined NATO in what constitutes a stunning break with a two-century-long policy of military neutrality.
Prompted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Scandinavian nation and its Nordic partner Finland conducted a comprehensive review of its longstanding national security policy and just two months later applied to join the mammoth bloc.
Twenty-two months later, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson today handed over the final documentation at a ceremony presided over by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, after which Stockholm’s ‘instrument of accession’ to the alliance was officially deposited at the State Department.
‘This is a historic moment for Sweden. It’s historic for the alliance. It’s history for the transatlantic relationship,’ Blinken said, with Kristersson adding that Sweden is now ‘a safer country’.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also described it as ‘a historic day’ that will see Sweden ‘take its rightful place at NATO’s table, with an equal say in shaping NATO policies and decisions.’
A Swedish flag will now be hoisted outside NATO headquarters in Brussels from Monday.
For NATO, the accession of Sweden and Finland – which shares a 1,340 km border with Russia – is the most significant expansion for decades.
It also constitutes a significant blow for the Russian President, who has sought to prevent any further strengthening of the alliance and threatened to take unspecified ‘political and military-technical counter-measures’ in response to Sweden’s move.
END TIMES PROPHECY WATCH 
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