Just past noon on Monday, Sweden's flag was hoisted at NATO's Brussels headquarters, marking its formal initiation as the 32nd member of the alliance.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Princess Victoria of Sweden, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg were all present at the ceremony in Brussels.
Stoltenberg said Sweden's entry into the alliance was "historic" and symbolised the alliance's continued strength in the face of Russian military aggression.
"On launching his invasion of Ukraine two years ago, Putin sought a weaker NATO and greater control over his neighbours," Stoltenberg said.
"He aimed for the eradication of Ukraine as a sovereign state, yet he has failed. NATO is now larger and stronger."
Prior to the ceremony, Kristersson stated that "unity and solidarity" would be Sweden's guiding principles as a NATO member.
"We are both humbled and proud," he continued. "We recognise the expectations upon us and in turn, we too have very high expectations. The threats facing our region have never been as severe since World War Two."
He highlighted the importance of cybersecurity as part of safeguarding against threats from Russia, which Moscow has previously warned would intensify if NATO expanded.
Following suit
The Finnish flag was simultaneously raised in NATO headquarters in Bergen, Belgium, and Norfolk, USA.
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Finland immediately took steps to join NATO, with Sweden following suit and applying for membership in May 2022.
The country had originally hinged its independence from the alliance off that of its Finnish neighbour – neither country wanted to act as a buffer state between NATO and Russia alone.
Now that Sweden has joined, all nations bordering the Baltic Sea apart from Russia itself are members of the alliance.
