John Adoyi, PBA Journalism MenteeAs the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters day 162, the United States’ Senate voted overwhelmingly to give Sweden and Finland approval to become members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
The two countries in Northern Europe have always maintained a non-alignment policy, and had, in May, decided to join the military organization due to threats posed by the invasion of Ukraine.
In June, after the NATO Summit in Madrid Spain, Finland and Sweden’s quest was formalized by member states, a process that must go to the Senate of member state for approvals. The US Senate voted 95 to 1 to ratify the request of both countries.
The US Senate majority leader, Senator Chuck Schumer, who invited the Ambassadors of the two countries to observe the process said, “Finland’s and Sweden’s membership will strengthen NATO even further, and is all the more urgent, given Russian aggression, given Putin’s immoral and unjustified war in Ukraine.”
The United State president, Joe Biden, who was glad at the landslide approval, said: “This historic vote sends an important signal of the sustained, bipartisan U.S. commitment to NATO, and to ensuring our Alliance is prepared to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.”
“I look forward to signing the accession protocols and welcoming Sweden and Finland, two strong democracies with highly capable militaries, into the greatest defensive alliance in history,” the president added.
NATO, which currently comprised 30-member states, will now expand to 32. Russia, which has been opposing the expansion of the Treaty, has described the decision of Sweden and Finland to join NATO as a ‘provocation.’
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