Sweden is set to join NATO after Hungary’s parliament voted Monday to approve its membership, ending a standoff that has lasted almost two years. NATO officials and diplomats said membership formalities could be completed by the end of the week.
The historic expansion of the military alliance — Finland also joined last year — was set in motion by Russia’s war in Ukraine. Sweden and Finland both put aside years of military nonalignment to seek security within NATO after Russia’s invasion in 2022. Their membership is expected to strengthen NATO’s capabilities in the high north and the Baltic Sea.
NATO member countries and allies, including the United States, have provided Ukraine with more than $175 billion worth of military, financial and humanitarian aid since Russia’s invasion.
