(CNN) — Sweden officially joined NATO on Thursday after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine spurred it to rethink its defense policy and abandon its long held position of neutrality.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson formally handed over accession documents to the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C., the final step of a months-long process to gain the approval of all members to allow his country to become the alliance’s 32nd member.
The documents are put into a vault at the State Department, which serves as the treaty depositary for NATO.
“With receipt of this instrument of accession let me be the very first to welcome Sweden as a party to the Washington Treaty and the 32nd member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said alongside Kristersson.
Kristersson thanked his allies for welcoming Sweden into the bloc.
“We will strive for unity, solidarity and burden-sharing, and will fully adhere to the Washington Treaty values: freedom, democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. Stronger together,” he said in a statement.
Sweden’s bid to join the bloc was for months obstructed by Turkey and Hungary, which enjoy friendly relations with Moscow and delayed ratifying Sweden’s accession.
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