Sweden will honor Blinken and others with knighthoods for their roles in its NATO accession

STOCKHOLM (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and former NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg will be knighted in Sweden for their role in enabling the Scandinavian country to join the world’s largest military alliance. It was a historic realignment of Europe’s post-Cold War security landscape triggered by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Blinken and Stoltenberg along with former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin and former Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto will receive the Royal Order of the Polar Star, given to foreign citizens and stateless persons “for extraordinary efforts for Swedish interests.”

“The awards are an expression of our great gratitude for the efforts of these people in connection with Sweden’s membership in NATO,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Tuesday.

Sweden joined almost a year after Finland. Both ended decades of post-World War II neutrality and centuries of broader non-alignment with major powers.