Ulf Kristersson

NATO leaders pose for an official photo at the NATO summit in Washington, Wednesday, July 10, 2024. Front row from left, Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, Dimitar Glavchev, Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium, Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania, U.S.

Leaders from 32 countries gathered in Washington for the 75th anniversary NATO summit, with all eyes on President Biden. With questions swirling about his mental and physical fitness to run for re-election, Biden will now be tested on a global level.

Swedish lawmakers vote Tuesday on a controversial defense deal with the United States, which critics fear could lead to the deployment of nuclear weapons and permanent U.S. bases on Swedish soil.

The Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) is a major step for a country that in March ended two centuries of neutrality to join NATO.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg affirmed today that Ukraine possesses the legal right, as per international law, to target military sites within Russia as a measure of self-defense.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday that there were "no immediate military threat" against any member of the alliance, after the Kremlin has accused the West of potentially escalating the war in Ukraine.

Stoltenberg's statements follows heightened tensions between Russia and NATO members.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday urged his Nordic allies to supply his struggling military with more weapons, and denounced Russian border "provocations" in the Baltic region.

Zelensky has been touring European capitals in recent days to appeal for more military aid for the Ukrainian army, which has been ceding ground to relentless Russian attacks in recent weeks.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Monday he was open to allowing nuclear weapons on Swedish soil in wartime, as critics call for the new NATO member to ban their deployment.

At the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Sweden's national flag was raised today, marking the country's official accession as the 32nd member of the powerful military alliance. After nearly two centuries of steadfast neutrality, Sweden's decision to align itself with NATO underscores a seismic shift in its security strategy and geopolitical stance.

Sweden on Thursday became the 32nd member of NATO, turning the page on two centuries of non-alignment and capping two years of tortuous diplomacy after Russia's invasion of Ukraine triggered new fears.

Sweden on Thursday formally joined NATO as the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality as concerns about Russian aggression in Europe have spiked following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.