Like Finland, which is also considering joining NATO, Sweden has been neutral for a long time. However, since the Russian attack on Ukraine, support for NATO membership has grown rapidly among politicians and residents. In Sweden, Prime Minister Andersson’s Social Democrats have already expressed a positive opinion about the membership application. The Finnish government decided on Sunday to become an official member, confident that the parliament would agree. The latter is likely to happen this week.
Despite objections from NATO member Turkey, the alliance’s chief executive Jens Stoltenberg expects both Sweden and Finland to join quickly and smoothly. There are still a few months to go. For the intervening period, NATO countries offer security guarantees to Sweden and Finland, in case Russia becomes aggressive.