Hungary's President Tamás Sulyok has ratified Sweden's application to join NATO, marking the final approval needed from the alliance's 31 member countries.

This pivotal step sends Sweden's application to Washington for the next phase of the process.

With Hungary's ratification, only a few procedural steps remain before Sweden becomes a full-fledged NATO member, including an invitation from NATO's Secretary-General and the submission of Sweden's accession documents to the United States.

The Swedish flag is set to be raised alongside other member countries' flags at NATO's headquarters in Brussels, symbolizing Sweden's official membership.

This milestone concludes Sweden's journey towards NATO membership, which began with the formal application submission in May 2022.