Stockholm: In a historic shift likely to upset the Kremlin, Sweden's prime minister announced Monday that Sweden will join Finland in seeking NATO membership in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The historic shift, which comes after more than 200 years of military nonalignment in the Nordic country, is likely to upset Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We will inform NATO that we want to become a member of the alliance,” Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said.
The announcement came after a debate in Riksdagen, or Parliament, earlier Monday showed that there is a huge support for joining NATO. Out of Sweden’s eight parties, only two smaller left-leaning parties opposed it.
On Sunday, the Swedish Social Democrats broke with the party’s long-standing position that Sweden must remain nonaligned, paving the way for a clear majority for NATO membership in the parliament.
The move in Sweden came after neighboring Finland announced Sunday that it too would seek to join the 30-country alliance. Public opinion in both countries was firmly against joining NATO before the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, but support for NATO membership surged quickly after that.
Russia reacts
Russia on Monday condemned Finland and Sweden for their decision to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) military alliance, saying that Moscow would take steps in retaliation. "This is another grave mistake with far-reaching consequences," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, according to reports
Ryabkov added that if Finland and Sweden join NATO, it would lead to a rise in military tensions. "It is a pity that common sense is being sacrificed for some phantom ideas about what should be done in the current situation," he said.
Agency inputs
Also read: Turkey's leader opposes letting Finland, Sweden join NATO
