Swedes express mixed feelings towards their country becoming the 32nd member of NATO, a move that brings the curtain down on more than 200 years of military non-alignment. “It’s good for the country” says Fredrik Palmqvist, a 36-year-old chef. However, Kerstin Bergea, an NGO worker, sees Sweden’s accession as “a historic mistake”. Stockholm’s bid to join the US-led alliance was prompted – alongside that of Finland – by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.