EXPLAINER: 'Neutral' Europe recedes as NATO set to expand

BERLIN (AP) — With Finland and Sweden taking steps to join NATO amid Russia's war in Ukraine, the list of “neutral” or nonaligned countries in Europe appears poised to shrink.

Like the two Nordic countries, other nations joined the European Union for its promise economic and political unity without taking sides in the East-West divide that has endured beyond the end of the Cold War.

But security concerns over Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine changed the calculus for Finland and Sweden which have long espoused nonalignment and caused other traditionally “neutral” countries to rethink what that term really means for them. Finland declared Sunday that it wants to join NATO, while Sweden could follow suit as public opinion in both Nordic countries has swelled in favor of membership.

While EU members are committed to coming to each other's defense in case of an external attack, the pledge has largely remained on paper as NATO's might overshadows the bloc's own notions of collective defense.

Yet, Turkey could still pour cold water on the NATO ambitions of both Finland and Sweden. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country is a NATO, said his goverment is “not of a favorable opinion” of the idea because of alleged Nordic country support for Kurdish militants and others that Turkey considers terrorists.

“This is the key thing about neutrality: It means different things to different people,” said historian Samuel Kruizinga of the University of Amsterdam.

Here’s a look at some countries that have enshrined “neutrality” into their laws or generally considered themselves neutral in the showdown between the United States and Russia and their respective affiliates. Austria, Ireland, Cyprus and Malta are EU members that haven't joined NATO, and Switzerland has stayed...