U.S. and NATO officials are increasingly optimistic that Sweden will join the military alliance as its newest member by this summer, bringing an advanced military already closely integrated with Western allies into the fold as tensions with Russia increase.
Sweden last year announced it was giving up 200 years of military nonalignment and would seek to join NATO along with neighboring Finland in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Finland joined earlier this year, but NATO ally Turkey has blocked Sweden’s accession for months over disputes with the Swedish government.