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Nato: What is it and why has Sweden joined it?
Image source, ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS
Sweden has officially become a member of Nato.
The country asked to join Nato two years ago, after Russia invaded Ukraine. Finland also asked to join the same year, and was accepted into Nato in 2023.
Nato is a military alliance, involving 32 different countries across the world, now including Sweden. Countries which are part of Nato are expected to help other Nato country if they come under attack.
Sweden's Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, said the country would be guided by "unity and solidarity".
Volodomyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, a country which is currently trying to join Nato, praised the move.
Russia has vowed to take political and military measures in response to Sweden joining Nato but has not said what they will be.
Image source, Chip Somodevilla
Nato's headquarters are in Brussels, in Belgium. On Monday, they will hold a special flag-raising ceremony to signify Sweden joining the alliance.
What is Nato?
Image source, Getty Images
Nato stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
It is an international organisation which brings together the armies of various countries, including the UK, the United States and France.
It was formed by 12 countries in 1949, four years after the Second World War (WW2).
As of March 2024, Nato now has 32 member countries.
Nato is currently led by Norwegian politician Jens Stoltenberg, who is known as the Secretary General.
Which countries are part of Nato?
Nato currently has 32 members across Europe and North America.
They are: Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States.
Sweden, is the most recent country to join and Finland joined last year.
Why was Nato created?
Image source, AFP via Getty
The aim of Nato is to make sure that its member countries don't fight each other, and that instead they use their forces to work together for world peace.
Its original aim was to tackle the threat of Russian expansion in Europe after WW2.
In 1955, the Soviet Union, which was a big state of countries led by Russia, responded to Nato by creating its own military alliance of Eastern European countries, called the Warsaw Pact.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, a number of former Warsaw Pact countries became Nato members.
Now, Nato member countries agree that if any one of them is attacked, the other countries will come to help them. It's hoped this will stop military attacks on any Nato country.
Why is Russia unhappy with Nato and Ukraine?
Ukraine used to be part of the Soviet Union. It borders both Russia and a group of Western European countries, known as the European Union.
It is not a Nato member, but it is a "partner country" - this means there is an understanding that it may be allowed to join the group sometime in the future.
One of Russia's demands before the invasion in 2022 was that Ukraine should never be allowed to join - something the UK and the US refused to support.
Russia fears that Nato is taking over its territory by taking on new members from eastern Europe, and that if Ukraine joined, it would bring Nato's forces into its backyard.
The US says that Ukraine should be free to decide on its own security partnerships.