Video Transcript

• Sweden Ends Historic Neutrality and Joins NATO

  This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

  Sweden's membership in NATO sends a very clear signal to Vladimir Putin that he gravely miscalculated when he invaded Ukraine. Putin's calculus for invading Ukraine was to prevent further NATO enlargement and to prevent NATO from being along the Russian border. Well, now there are two new NATO's allies. 

  Sweden is a net contributor to allied security. It brings with it a number of advantages that will already benefit the alliance on day one. Sweden has one of the largest air forces in all of Europe. Out of the three 5G infrastructure companies in the world, Two out of the three- One in Finland and one in Sweden- are now in NATO. This is a game changer for Baltic Sea security and ensuring continued peace in the Arctic. 

  Sweden boasts a world class submarine fleet and has over 100 years of experience operating in the shallow Baltic Sea. Currently, US submarines do not have the capabilities to operate in the Baltic Sea. Sweden also brings with it a tremendous amount of Arctic knowhow, which is something that Russia has continued to push as it invests more and more in its Arctic infrastructure and capabilities. 

  Once Sweden is officially a part of NATO, this will be the first time that all of the Nordic countries will be in the same alliance in 500 years. The Nordic countries will represent a substantial bloc within NATO and this will irrevocably change the power dynamics within the NATO alliance. Finland formally joined the NATO alliance in April 2023. Now all that's left for Sweden is to deposit the articles of accsession here in Washington. This is largely a ceremonial step. Hungary’s decision to unblock the  accession process was really the big news item of the week.