A JAS 39 Gripen C/D fighter aircraft takes off from Lulea-Kallax Airport, Sweden on March 4, 2024 during the NATO Nordic Response 24 military exercise, a Norwegian national exercise carried out in northern Sweden, Norway and Finland with associated airspace and waters.
Sweden officially joined NATO as its 32nd member on Thursday, almost two years after first applying to the military alliance.
"Sweden's accession makes NATO stronger, Sweden safer, and the whole Alliance more secure.
The country first applied to join NATO in May 2022, not long after Russia's war on Ukraine began.
This marked a significant change in Sweden's previous policy of military nonalignment which stretches back to the Napoleonic wars.
Persons:
Jens Stoltenberg, Ulf Kristersson
Organizations:
Kallax, NATO, Alliance, Washington , D.C
Locations:
Lulea, Sweden, Norwegian, Norway, Finland, Swedish, Washington ,, Ukraine