Explained: How Sweden joining NATO is a win-win for both sides

At long last, Sweden will join NATO. The military alliance will now have 32 members after Hungary, the final hurdle in Sweden’s path to membership, held a parliamentary vote to approve the move.

Hungary’s vote — 188 to 6 — on Sweden brings an end to more than 18 months of delays that have frustrated the military alliance as it seeks to expand in response to Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Shortly after the vote, Sweden’s prime minister Ulf Kristersson said on X: “Today is a historic day… Sweden stands ready to shoulder its responsibility for Euro-Atlantic security.”

Going forward, “Nordic countries will have a common defence for the first time in 500 years… we remain friends, and we become allies,” he added.

Other members of NATO also celebrated the news of Sweden joining the alliance with German chancellor Olaf Scholz saying that having Sweden in NATO “strengthens our defence alliance and with it the security of Europe and the world”. UK’s Rishi Sunak also welcomed the vote, writing on X: “A historic day for our alliance. Sweden, we are looking forward to welcoming you to NATO very soon.”

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But what does Sweden bring to the alliance? How does the alliance help Sweden? We answer these questions and more.

Why does Sweden want membership to NATO?

Historically since the end of the Napoleonic wars, Sweden has chosen the path of neutrality and steered clear of joining military alliances. Following the end of the Cold War, the neutrality policy was amended to one of military non-alignment; it sent troops for peacekeeping missions, but didn’t join a war.

However, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Sweden ditched its longstanding policy of nonalignment almost overnight and decided to apply to join the alliance together with neighbouring Finland .

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Notably, Sweden had already built strong ties with NATO , joining the Partnership for Peace programme in 1994 and then the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in 1997. But the Swedish population was firmly against full membership. They believed that non-alignment was the best way to avoid tensions with Russia.

However, 2022’s invasion of Ukraine swayed public opinion — from just 37 per cent of people in favour of joining the alliance in January 2022, it skyrocketed to 62 per cent in May 2023.

And in May 2022, a broad majority of the Swedish parliament voted to apply for membership, deciding that the alliance’s security guarantees would be beneficial.

Why has it taken so long?

Hold up, Sweden applied for NATO membership in May 2022 and has finally gained membership, now in February 2024. So, why has it taken so long?

Sweden’s application to NATO was held up by Turkey and Hungary. It’s important to note here that all existing NATO countries must give their approval before a new member can join the alliance.

Turkey finally gave it assent in January last year, after Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan put forth a series of conditions, including a tougher stance toward groups that Turkey regards as threats to its security, such as Kurdish militants and members of a network it blames for a failed coup in 2016.

But with pressure coming from other allies, Ankara acceded.

On the other hand, Hungary didn’t give any clear reason for its delays and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán long insisted that his country wouldn’t be the last to give approval. But the tone toward Stockholm hardened last year, with Hungary accusing Swedish politicians of telling “blatant lies” about the condition of Hungary’s democracy.

Moreover, Orbán has adopted a Kremlin-friendly stance toward Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

But, finally the parliament in Hungary has ratified Sweden’s bid to join NATO, bringing an end to more than 18 months of delays by the nationalist government.

How does Sweden benefit from NATO?

A NATO membership is crucial for Sweden at a time when Russia is exerting its muscle power in the region. Under Article 5 of the alliance, an armed attack against one NATO member is considered as an attack on all. This means if Russia would attack Sweden, all of NATO members would respond in kind.

“This protection is of course the crucial aspect for Sweden," Simon Koschut, professor of international security policy at Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen, Germany, told Deutsche Welle.

Jan Henningson, a researcher at the FOI, echoed similar sentiments. In an AFP report, he was quoted as saying, “Traditionally, we have thought that we are a small state and whoever attacks us is much bigger.

“But we are no longer David in all aspects, so to speak.”

And as Swedish army chief Jonny Lindfors told newspaper Dagens Nyheter in December told AFP, “It’ll be quite an impressive force with hopefully the combined might of 32 countries from Turkey in the south all the way up to Svalbard in the Arctic”. He further added that the extra strength would make the risk of a conflict breaking out less likely.

Also, membership gives Sweden equal rights in the NATO Council, the main decision-making body of the defence alliance. It is this very right that Turkey had made use of to block the Scandinavian country’s accession — until now. This means that Sweden would be given the right to refuse or push for a country’s membership to the alliance.

What does NATO gain from Swedish accession?

Sweden joining the military alliance is also a huge boost to NATO — militarily as well as geographically.

With Sweden joining the alliance, the entire Baltic coastline becomes NATO territory, with the exception of the Russian coast and its exclave, Kaliningrad. This would make the Baltic states easier to defend in the event of a Russian attack. In fact, according to Koschut, it is Sweden’s geographical position that makes its membership to NATO attractive.

Moreover, Sweden would be an impressive addition to NATO’s military. Though their military is small, it is modern and well-equipped. Combining its different branches, the Swedish military can field some 50,000 soldiers, about half of whom are reservists.

Its air force includes more than 90 of its domestically developed fighter jet JAS 19 Gripen, and it has a Baltic Sea navy that includes several corvettes and submarines.

Sweden’s defence industry will also boost the Alliance’s military-industrial capacity. One of the largest in Europe, Sweden’s defence industry amounted to $3 billion in 2022 with exports of defence material totalling over $2 billion. The Wilson Centre in one of its reports also states that Sweden’s high level of technological competence would aid NATO. It posits that Sweden’s technological know-how will help prepare the Alliance to prepare for tomorrow’s threats.

The Washington-based research centre also states that Sweden’s air force — one of the largest in Europe — will dramatically bolster the Alliance’s number of fighter jets in the Baltic and Arctic regions. This will reduce the need for other major allies such as the United States to provide air surveillance and air presence in the region, with NATO member states now able to take a larger role in their own region’s defence.

Hence, it seems that Sweden’s accession to NATO is a win-win for both sides.

How has Russia reacted?

Moscow, unsurprisingly, is unhappy with the decision, warning NATO of countermeasures. Russia said such a move affects the security situation in Northern Europe, which it said “had previously been one of the most stable regions in the world.”

With inputs from agencies