Sweden has become the 32nd member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The U.S. State Department confirmed the country's accession to the alliance, since it meets the requirements stipulated in NATO protocol:
On March 7, 2024, the conditions for entry into force set forth in Article II of the Protocol to the North Atlantic Treaty on the Accession of the Kingdom of Sweden were fulfilled.
On X, the Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson reported that all partner states accepted Sweden's accession to NATO after roughly two years of negotiations:
NATO SG Stoltenberg has just informed me that all NATO member states have accepted our accession protocol, and has invited Sweden to accede to the North Atlantic Treaty. Sweden will soon be NATO’s 32nd member.
— SwedishPM (@SwedishPM) March 7, 2024
Shortly after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership. The alliance received the requests and negotiations between the parties began.
Finland's entry came in April 2023, less than a year after applying. Sweden had to wait nearly two years to receive approval from the military alliance.
