Sweden’s flag raised at Nato headquarters, cementing its place as 32nd member

Sweden set aside decades of post-World War II neutrality when it formally joined Nato last Thursday. Its neighbour Finland had joined in April last year

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 triggered an about-face in public opinion in Sweden and Finland, and within three months they had applied to join Nato

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Officials hoist the Swedish national flag on a pole during a flag raising ceremony for Sweden’s accession to Nato at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:35pm, 11 Mar 2024

Sweden’s national flag was raised at Nato headquarters on Monday, cementing the Nordic country’s place as the 32nd member of the alliance two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine persuaded its reluctant public to seek safety under Nato’s security umbrella.

Under a steady rain, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg looked on as two soldiers raised the blue banner emblazoned with a yellow cross among the official circle of national flags at the headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

“We are humble, but we are also proud. We know the expectations for Sweden are high, but we also have high expectations for ourselves,” Kristersson told reporters minutes before the ceremony. “We will share burdens, responsibilities and risks with our allies.”

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (middle), Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (2nd from left) pose during a flag-raising ceremony for Sweden’s accession to Nato at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels. Photo: AFP

Sweden set aside decades of post-World War II neutrality when it formally joined Nato last Thursday. Its neighbour Finland had already joined in April last year in another historic move ending years of military non-alignment.

Finland’s defence ministry welcomed “our brothers and sisters in arms” on X, formerly Twitter, saying “now we stand at the beginning of a new era. Together and with other allies in peace, in crisis and beyond”.

President Vladimir Putin’s decision to order Russian troops into Ukraine in February 2022 triggered an about-face in public opinion in both countries, and within three months they had applied to join the world’s biggest security organisation.

Putin claimed to have launched the war, at least in part, over Nato’s eastward expansion toward Russia, but it has swollen the alliance’s ranks. Nato leaders have promised that Ukraine itself will join one day, although almost certainly not while the conflict rages on.