WASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, the biggest expansion of the 30-member alliance since the 1990s, as it responds to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Senate voted 95 to 1 to support ratification of the accession documents, easily exceeding the two-thirds majority of the 67 votes needed to support ratification of the two countries’ accession documents.
“This historic vote sends an important signal of America’s sustained and bipartisan commitment to NATO and to ensuring that our Alliance is ready to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow,” said US President Joe Biden. , in a statement.
Sign up now for FREE, unlimited access to Reuters.com
Sign up
Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in response to the February 24 invasion. Russia has repeatedly warned both countries against joining the alliance.
NATO’s 30 allies signed the Accession Protocol for them last month, allowing them to join the US-led nuclear-armed alliance once its members ratify the decision. Read more
Helsinki and Stockholm were then allowed to participate in NATO meetings and have greater access to intelligence, but were not protected by Article Five, NATO’s defense clause which stated that an attack on one ally is an attack against all.
Accession must be ratified by the parliaments of the 30 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization before Finland and Sweden can be protected by the defense clause.
Ratification could take up to a year, although it has already been approved by some countries, including Canada, Germany and Italy.
Senators from both parties strongly endorsed membership in both countries, describing them as important allies whose modern militaries already worked closely with NATO.
“The qualifications of these two prosperous and democratic nations are exceptional and will serve to strengthen the NATO alliance,” said Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, calling for support ahead of the vote.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer invited the ambassadors and other diplomats from Finland and Sweden to the Senate to watch the vote.
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley was the lone dissenting vote. Republican Senator Rand Paul voted absent.
Sign up now for FREE, unlimited access to Reuters.com
Sign up
Report by Patricia Zengerle; additional reporting by Rose Horowitch and Jarrett Renshaw; Edited by Grant McCool
Our standards: the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.