nato: US Senate approves Sweden, Finland’s membership in NATO
Before the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Finland and Sweden avoided military alliances. But with the latest war, the countries took an important step to join NATO, a 74-year-old mutual defense pact between the US and its European allies.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer asked the ambassadors of Finland and Sweden to attend the vote. Even US President Joe Biden wanted Finland and Sweden to join NATO quickly. Biden has been a primary player in gathering material and financial support globally for war-torn Ukraine. In his statement on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, Biden noted that the historic and unanimous vote demonstrates the country’s bipartisan commitment to NATO. It also ensured the readiness of the country and its allies to meet current and future challenges.
Biden expressed eagerness to sign the accession documents so that both nations could join NATO without delay. Biden called the countries strong democracies with capable military forces and welcomed them into the NATO alliance.
Currently, all 30 member nations must approve a new country joining the NATO alliance. Finland and Sweden applied for membership about three months ago, after which they have received ratifications from more than half of the member nations. In the US, senators usually vote lopsidedly on NATO membership. However, the new unanimous vote shows the country’s changing foreign policy, especially in the wake of the Ukraine war.
In addition to approving the two countries’ membership, the Senate also approved an amendment requiring NATO members to spend at least 2% of their GDP (gross domestic product) on defense and 20% of the defense budget on essential equipment and R&D.
Every European member of NATO must agree to another nation joining. If Turkey still resists, membership could become a problem for both countries even after taking advantage of US support. In the case of Finland and Sweden, Turkey created a roadblock calling the countries soft on the banned Turkish exile Kurds.
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