NATO marked Sweden’s entry into the alliance Monday with a flag-raising ceremony in Brussels as the 32nd member two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine persuaded its reluctant public to seek safety under the alliance’s security umbrella.

Hungary’s president signed in early March the law on Sweden’s bid to join NATO, a final technical step before the Nordic country becomes the alliance’s 32nd member. Hungary’s parliament ratified Sweden’s bid on Feb. 26.

Sweden set aside decades of post-World War II neutrality when it formally joined NATO in early March. The neighboring nation of Finland had already joined in April 2023 in another historic move ending years of military nonalignment.