The Senate committee passed the resolution on Thursday without a single voiced objection, indicating bipartisan support for the move in Washington, and urged other NATO members to follow suit and show unity in welcoming Stockholm and Helsinki into the US-led military bloc.
“A powerful alliance rooted in shared values, Sweden and Finland would only strengthen NATO and revitalize the backbone of our international security architecture in the face of Putin’s aggression,” the committee chairman, Senator Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey) said following the vote, referring to the Russian president. He added that with this “bipartisan vote of confidence, we signal that we stand ready to take the necessary steps to facilitate their accession.”
“I’ve long said that Sweden’s and Finland’s strong political and military traditions make them a perfect fit for the alliance. I hope the Senate will follow the committee’s lead and move quickly to pass this resolution,” added Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), the committee’s ranking member.
The two Nordic countries’ membership applications enjoy full support from the Joe Biden administration and are expected to easily surpass the required two-thirds minimum for full Senate approval. For his part, Biden called on the upper chamber to ratify the measure “as quickly as possible.”