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Sweden has joined Nato, the military alliance of countries in Europe and North America.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Nato has admitted Sweden and Finland as new members and has also been bolstering its defences in eastern Europe.
What is Nato and when was it set up?
Nato – the North Atlantic Treaty Organization – was formed in 1949 by 12 countries, including the US, UK, Canada and France.
Its aim was to block expansion by the Soviet Union – a group of communist states which included Russia.
Members agree that if one of them is attacked, the others should help it defend itself.
Nato does not have an army of its own, but member countries can take collective military action in response to crises. They also coordinate military plans and carry out joint military exercises.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Nato said that it posed the “most significant and direct threat to allies’ security”.
Which countries are Nato members?
Nato now has 32 members across Europe and North America, including the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Turkey.
After the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, many Eastern European countries joined: Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Sweden and Finland applied to join in May 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They had been neutral for decades.
Finland – which has a 1,340km (832 mile) land border with Russia – joined in April 2023.
Sweden became a member in March 2024, after its membership was held up by both Turkey and Hungary.
Turkey had brought to the agenda that groups such as PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization, could move freely in Switzerland. However, in January it decided to support Sweden’s membership.
Hungary’s government was angry that Sweden had accused it of behaving undemocratically, but agreed to let it join in February.
With Sweden and Finland joining Nato, it is seeing its biggest expansion since the 1990s. They will add nearly 300,000 active and reserve troops to the alliance’s ranks.
