Sweden joins NATO as war in Ukraine prompts security rethink

Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson speaks during a press conference with Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store at the Storting, the Norwegian parliament, in Oslo, Norway, October 31, 2023. NTB/Javad Parsa via REUTERS/File Photo

WASHINGTON/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Sweden joined NATO in Washington on Thursday, two years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine forced it to rethink its national security policy and conclude that support for the alliance was the Scandinavian nation's best guarantee of safety.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson handed over the final documentation to the U.S. government on Thursday, the last step in a drawn-out process to secure the backing of all members to join the military alliance.