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‘Neutral’ Europe recedes as Finns, Swedes edge toward NATO

FILE - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, center, participates in a media conference with Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, left, and Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde, right, at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Jan. 24, 2022. Security concerns over Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine changed the calculus for Finland and Sweden which have long espoused neutrality and caused other traditionally “neutral” countries to re-think what that term really means for them. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys, File) FILE - Protesters gather during a demonstration against NATO membership outside the ruling Social Democrats party's office in Stockholm, Sweden, May 14, 2022. Security concerns over Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine changed the calculus for Finland and Sweden which have long espoused neutrality and caused other traditionally “neutral” countries to re-think what that term really means for them. (Anders Wiklund/TT via AP, File) FILE - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy receives a standing ovation as he addresses Sweden's parliament via video link, in Stockholm, March 24, 2022. Security concerns over Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine changed the calculus for Finland and Sweden which have long espoused neutrality and caused other traditionally “neutral” countries to re-think what that term really means for them. (Paul Wennerholm/TT News Agency via AP, File) FILE - Finnish soldiers take part in the Army mechanised exercise Arrow 22 exercise at the Niinisalo garrison in Kankaanpaa, Western Finland, on May 4, 2022. Security concerns over Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine changed the calculus for Finland and Sweden which have long espoused neutrality and caused other traditionally “neutral” countries to re-think what that term really means for them. (Heikki Saukkomaa./Lehtikuva via AP, File) FILE - Flags flutter in the wind outside NATO headquarters in Brussels, Feb. 7, 2022. With Finland and Sweden taking steps to join NATO, the list of “neutral” countries in Europe appears poised to shrink. Security concerns over Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine changed the calculus for Finland and Sweden which have long espoused neutrality and caused other traditionally “neutral” countries to re-think what that term really means for them. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys, File)