Blinken Receives Sweden's NATO Instruments Of Accession

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has received Sweden's ratified Instruments of Accession and deposited them at the Department of State to formally confirm Sweden's membership of NATO.

• Blinken said, speaking alongside Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Foreign Minister Tobias Billström, says "good things come to those who wait..." referring to a months-long process which had to overcome sustained objections from fellow NATO members Turkey and Hungary.
• Blinken: "This is a historic moment for Sweden, its a historic moment for our alliance, and the transatlantic alliance... our defensive alliance is now stronger and larger than it's ever been."
• Blinken says Sweden will bring some "unique capabilities" to NATO, including in the Arctic and Baltic Seas and will contribute, "more than 2% of its GDP to defence."
• Kristersson: "We will live up to high expectations from all NATO allies... we will share burdens, responsibilities, and risks with other allies."
• Later this evening Kristersson will attend President Biden's State of the Union Address at the United States Congress as a guest of First Lady Jill Biden. At his SOTU, Biden is expected to call on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to allow a vote on the Senate-passed USD$95 billion foreign aid bill which includes new funding for Ukraine.