Sweden says US has offered security guarantees if it applies to join Nato

Foreign minister Ann Linde spoke after meeting with US secretary of state Anthony Blinken

Sweden has received assurances from the US that it would receive support during the period a potential application to join Nato is processed by the 30 nations in the alliance, foreign minister Ann Linde said in Washington on Wednesday.

Sweden and neighbour Finland stayed out of Nato during the cold war, but Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its invasion of Ukraine have led the countries to rethink their security policies, with Nato membership looking increasingly likely.