US Senate Approves Finland and Sweden NATO Membership Ratification Bill

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. Senate has approved the ratification of Finland and Sweden's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). With most of the 30 member countries having already completed parliamentary ratification, the formal accession of the two countries is expected to be finalized soon.

On the 3rd (local time), the U.S. Senate approved the ratification of Finland and Sweden's NATO accession. According to CNN, the Senate passed the ratification with an overwhelming vote of 95 in favor and 1 against.

The ratification required the approval of at least two-thirds of the 100 senators, which is 67 votes, but the number of favorable votes far exceeded that. The only senator to vote against was Republican Senator Joshua Hawley.

According to NBC, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (Democrat) said, "Today's vote shows that our alliance is stronger than ever before," adding, "This is an important signal to Russia, and they cannot intimidate the U.S. or Europe."

President Joe Biden stated in a press release, "This historic vote sends an important signal of America's consistent and bipartisan commitment to NATO and ensures that our alliance is prepared to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow."

The U.S. government is expected to soon deliver the ratification results to NATO. For Finland and Sweden to join NATO, approval from all 30 member countries is required, and it is known that a significant number have already completed ratification.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.