U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed Sweden as the newest member to join NATO during his State of the Union address on Thursday.
Sweden formally joined NATO on Thursday as the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality and centuries of broader non-alignment.
Sweden's membership comes as concerns about Russian aggression in Europe have spiked following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Sweden and Finland both abandoned long-standing neutrality that had been a hallmark of the Nordic states’ Cold War foreign policy after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Finland joined NATO last year.
