Prime Minister Andersson’s minority government is expected to submit its official application to join NATO shortly.
(Photo: IMAGO/Jürgen Heinrich)
Stockholm In Sweden, the ruling Social Democrats voted in favor of the country joining NATO on Sunday. In doing so, they pave the way for an application for admission, with which the Scandinavian country would say goodbye to its decades of neutrality. The Social Democrats’ decision is likely to have a large majority in the Swedish parliament.
Large parts of the opposition have already signaled their approval of a NATO membership application. Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson’s minority government is expected to submit its official application for membership shortly. Finland had previously declared on Sunday that it wanted to join the alliance.
Both countries maintained neutrality for decades and were non-aligned on military issues. However, the Russian war of aggression has tipped the mood among the population in favor of NATO membership. Finland is separated from Russia by a border that is around 1,300 kilometers long.
In the past, the government in Moscow had already warned of “serious consequences” if the two Scandinavian countries joined NATO and threatened to station nuclear weapons in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
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