Sweden flag raised at Nato headquarters to cement place as 32nd alliance member

Sweden’s national flag was raised at Nato headquarters on Monday 11 March, cementing the Nordic country’s place as the 32nd member of the alliance two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine persuaded its reluctant public to seek safety under the security umbrella.

Prime minister Ulf Kristersson, Crown Princess Victoria and Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg looked on as two soldiers raised the blue banner emblazoned with a yellow cross among the official circle of national flags at the headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

Sweden set aside decades of post-World War II neutrality when it formally joined Nato last Thursday.