The 95-1 Senate vote made the United States the 23rd of NATO's 30 countries to act since the alliance accepted the two nations' applications in June, ahead of its annual summit in Madrid. The 18 "no" votes were all Republicans. Finland and Sweden have strong democratic institutions, strong militaries, and strong and transparent economies. As for Sweden and Finland, we still need serious, rational, objective debate on the costs and benefits of admitting two historically neutral nations who have such strategic geographic position in relation to Russia, he wrote. All 30 NATO member countries must officially ratify the accession protocol for Finland and Sweden to join the alliance. By clicking submit, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy. The Senate overwhelmingly ratified Sweden and Finland's applications to join NATO on Wednesday, boosting the two Nordic nations in their bid to join the Atlantic alliance. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. Cavusoglu acknowledged Sweden had changed laws and welcomed the lifting of the arms embargo as an important step. But he warned the changes must be permanent and Sweden must not reverse any steps once it secures NATO membership. US Senate overwhelmingly approves Nato membership for Finland and Sweden In 95-1 vote, body supports 'slam-dunk for national security' after Russia's invasion of Ukraine Joe Biden with. 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(RepublicanPress.org) - On July 18, the US House of Representatives showed overwhelming support for adding Sweden and Finland to NATO, although the lower chamber has no say in the matter. "This accession process is an important chance for the U.S. to demonstrate leadership in . Heres all you need to know about why the move happened, what comes next and why it matters. Article 5 guarantees that the resources of the whole alliance including the massive US military can be used to protect any single member nation, such as smaller countries that would be defenseless without their allies. That is entirely understandable given their location and security needs. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday advanced protocols to support the accession of Finland and Sweden to join NATO, setting up a full Senate vote on expanding the alliance. NATO formalized its invitation to Sweden and Finland to join its alliance Wednesday, a historic expansion of the defense bloc that directly undercuts Russian President . The text . Cavusoglu also underlined that Turkey doesnt have any major issues with Finland but because the Nordic countries want their membership process to go in tandem, the two were receiving the same treatment from Ankara. We will see what it will be based on the threats that will be created for us.. If the Kremlin was willing to invade Ukraine a country with 44 million people, a GDP of about $155 billion, and armed forces of 200,000 active troops what would stop Putin from invading smaller countries like Finland or Sweden? On August 3, the Senate officially voted on the measure, with 95 out of 96 legislators choosing to welcome the Nordic . Sweden and Finland have just cleared a big hurdle on their path to NATO membership with the US Senate's overwhelming vote to welcome them into the Alliance. Stoltenberg said Wednesday that he expects Sweden and Finland to become members of the military alliance quickly. Once the President has signed an instrument of ratification, that instrument is deposited (in the case of a multilateral treaty) with the treatys depositary, which in the case of NATO, is the Department, the spokesperson said. If any senator is looking for a defensible excuse to vote no, I wish them good luck, he said. When Leader McConnell and I met with the Finnish President and Swedish Prime Minister in May, we committed to do this as fast as we could and certainly before we go home for the August recess, Schumer said. HELSINKI, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Finland and Sweden will joint NATO at the same time, their prime ministers said on Friday, presenting a united front to Turkey which has raised questions about both their applications. Finland's move to seek to join the. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. REUTERS/Yves Herman, join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Key moments along that path include talks between NATO and the candidate countries. The candidates must formally accept the obligations of membership, and then current member states sign an Accession Protocol, before individually ratifying it back home. "Without you, we wouldn't be here," Graham said in comments directed at Putin. Sweden and Finlands decision to move away from neutrality and the tradition of neutrality to join the NATO alliance is going to make us stronger and more secure and NATO stronger, Biden said. The Senate voted 95-1, with Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley voting no and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voting "present." Ella Joyner. The move was met with delight across the countries that make up NATOs eastern front, many of which have expressed concern that they could be next in Russias crosshairs if it is successful in Ukraine. He said joining the alliance would probably mean more joint military training and planning between Finland, Sweden and the 30 current members. Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership in the months after Russia invaded Ukraine, abandoning their longstanding policies of military nonalignment. Sweden opted to maintain its neutral status after the war ended. We need a ratification process in 30 parliaments that always takes some time but I expect also that to go rather quickly because allies are ready to try to make that ratification process happen as quickly as possible, Stoltenberg explained Wednesday. The protocols must now be ratified by all Allies, according to their national procedures. Monday's vote came two months after the Nordic countries applied to join NATO in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine and three weeks after the alliance had officially invited them to. At the same time, it is clear Finland and Sweden have delivered on the memorandum and are committed to the long-term partnership with Turkey, the former Norwegian prime minister told Cavusoglu. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. To initiate official accession talks, Sweden and Finland must be invited by NATO. It. Sweden and Finland are set formally to end decades of neutrality and join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in a historic breakthrough for the alliance that deals a blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin. U.S. Senate approves Finland and Sweden for membership into NATO. A patchwork of procedures is often the reason some states or localities take longer to deliver results than others. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Ironically, his invasion has given the alliance new purpose and increased its strength. The reason most countries join NATO is because of Article 5, which stipulates that all signatories consider an attack on one member an attack against all. FILE PHOTO: A view of the flags of Finland, NATO and Sweden during a ceremony to mark Sweden's . NATO invites members as it sees appropriate. In NATO, we have always shown that whatever our differences, we can always sit down, find common ground and resolve any issues. Before the Russian invasion, I would have said no. Putin was looking for the Finlandization of Europe, he said, referring to the so-called Finlandization dynamic that saw Russia dominant over the foreign policy of its smaller neighbor for decades. And all NATO members have to vote unanimously in favour of the candidates for this to be possible.. "It's completely legitimate that Turkey gets confirmation that Sweden is doing what Sweden has committed to do within the framework of the agreement," he added. 6:32 PM EDT, Wed August 3, 2022. "The committee's passage of this resolution is a testament to the bipartisan support for Finland and Sweden joining NATO, and the urgency of strengthening the alliance amidst Russia's. Sign up to receive the latest updates from U.S News & World Report and our trusted partners and sponsors. Essentially, many Finns and Swedes increasingly feel that joining Nato will help keep them safe when they face a plainly belligerent and unpredictable Russian leader. Turkey holds off on Finland and Sweden in NATO. McConnell also used his floor time to take aim at lawmakers who do not support the resolution. " [These two nations] have strong and capable militaries, and are already net contributors to the security alliance.". NATO Heads of State and Government extended an invitation to Finland and Sweden to join the Alliance at the Madrid Summit on 29 June. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. On February 24, 2022 Vladimir Putin decided that it was high time for Russia's Nordic neighbors Finland and Sweden to join the NATO defense alliance. MADRID, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Spain's parliament ratified the entry of Finland and Sweden to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Thursday, bringing the two Nordic countries one. Expanding American security commitments in Europe now would only make that problem worseand America, less safe.. Finland and Sweden sought to join NATO this year in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. All Rights Reserved. The Nordic neighbours asked to join the alliance in May in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but ran into objections from Turkey which accused the two of harbouring groups it deems terrorists. The Senate on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying membership for Sweden and Finland in NATO, with only one lawmaker voting against the move. 2. 2022 Cable News Network. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell predicted in remarks on the floor on Wednesday ahead of the vote that it would be, as decisive as it is bipartisan., McConnell argued that admitting Sweden and Finland to NATO will only strengthen the most successful military alliance in human history.. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged Turkey on Thursday to endorse Finland and Sweden's requests to join the military alliance, saying the two Nordic countries had fulfilled their security commitments to Ankara. Turkeys President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said he was not looking at both countries joining NATO positively, accusing them of housing Kurdish terrorist organizations.. All Rights Reserved. Croatia and Turkey have already expressed reservations about Finland and Sweden joining the group. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. Neither country would significantly change the balance of forces with Russia. When Finland and Sweden bring the number of allies to 32, well be stronger than ever. The term was coined during the Cold War and has been applied to other countries in which a superpower exerts control over smaller neighboring states. The flags of Finland, NATO, and Sweden. Ukraines desire to join NATO, and its status as a NATO partner seen as a step on the way to eventual full membership was one of the numerous grievances Putin cited in an attempt to justify the invasion. Here's an image of Hawley raising his fist to protesters outside the US . That announcement was welcomed by almost all of NATOs leaders but there was one significant obstacle. "From our perspective, it would be very important that Finland and Sweden would enter NATO together because we are both in the northern part of Europe, both in the same security geopolitical position," she said. President Biden noted the two countries' bids for membership in NATO had overwhelming bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate, as was shown in the Senate vote on August 3. He said he would meet Erdogan soon. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was in Istanbul for talks this week and moved the needle slightly, urging the Turks to let Sweden and Finland in. This strengthens NATO even further and is particularly needed in light of recent Russian aggression, Schumer said in remarks from the Senate floor. That breakthrough came during a NATO summit in Madrid that has already become one of the most consequential meetings in the history of the military alliance. In late June, NATO issued a. The push for . Instead, hes getting exactly what he did not want. appreciated. Now, NATO has not only gained a new lease on life but also is expected to grow, with Finland and Sweden inching closer to NATO membership. Former Swedish leader Carl Bildt told CNN didnt foresee new big military bases being built in either country if they joined. Putin single-handedly flip-flopped the . Kevin Liptak 6/29/2022. Iceland, for example, has no standing army. That followed similar threats from high-ranking Moscow officials. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday addressed the Madrid NATO summit, where a key diplomatic breakthrough has paved the way for Sweden and Finland to join. To keep the peace, Finns adopted an arrangement sometimes called Finlandization, in which leaders acceded to Soviet demands from time to time. The code has been copied to your clipboard. Cavusoglu said Turkey sees t he new government in Sweden as more determined to fulfill the memorandum signed in Madrid. He said that support sent a message: "Together with our Allies and partners, we're going to write the future we want to see. Twenty-eight out of 30 NATO allies have now ratified the two countries' protocols of accession to the military alliance. Putin thought he could break us apart, said President Biden, in my view, weaken our resolve. NATO's 30 members have been ratifying their entry since accession protocols were signed in. Both countries balancing acts effectively ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Lehtikuva/Vesa Moilanen/via REUTERS. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., right, welcomes Paivi Nevala, minister counselor of the Finnish Embassy, left, and . Swedish and Finnish forces could also participate in other NATO operations around the globe, such as those in the Baltic states, where several bases have multinational troops. The last major hurdle to the two nations entry to the bloc was removed when Turkey dropped its opposition on Tuesday. "It is time to welcome them as full. Leaving behind their long-standing tradition of neutrality, Finland and Sweden sought to join NATO in May in the wake of Vladimir Putins unprovoked and brutal war on Ukraine. June 12, 2022. The U.S. Senate approved Sweden's and Finland's accession into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Wednesday by a vote of 95-1, sending a strong bipartisan message of support for expanding . CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. The majority of Swedes also approve of their country joining the alliance, according to opinion polls there. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is pushing . Sept. 27, 2022, at 12:01 p.m. Save. All 30 NATO member states except Hungary and Turkey have ratified the accession of Sweden and Finland, which dropped decades of . The United States has given its formal approval for Finland and Sweden to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They have become strong partners in our joint fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, Stoltenberg told reporters in Istanbul after talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. 3) Finland and Sweden would add greater defense obligations than assets to NATO. But Stoltenberg, in the strongest public statement of support that he has made for the candidates while on Turkish soil, was adamant they have done enough. Both are serious military powers, despite their small populations. On Wednesday, NATO formally invited Sweden and Finland to join, kickstarting a multistage process that will end with both countries holding full membership. November 4, 2022, 1:18 PM. The Senate voted on Wednesday to approve a resolution to ratify membership for Sweden and Finland in NATO, a historic vote aimed at strengthening the defense bloc amid Russias war in Ukraine. Finland and Sweden have delivered on their commitment to Turkey. According to the terms of NATO's founding treaty, that means the United States would be obliged to defend both countries in the event of a military attack. Since the invasion of Ukraine in February, Finnish public support for joining NATO has leaped from around 30% to nearly 80% in some polls. Article 5 has been a cornerstone of the alliance since it was founded in 1949 as a counterweight to the Soviet Union. Kristersson's spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for a comment. The former vice president has become the Democratic front-runner with primary victories across the country. Under NATO rules, just one member state can veto a new applicants membership. By Bartosz Brzezinski October 22, 2022 2:50 pm CET Hungary's government supports the NATO membership of Sweden and Finland and has submitted the ratification documents to the National Assembly, Minister Gergely Gulys told reporters at a briefing on Saturday. Congress VOTES - Bad News for Putin! Hawley explained his position on the issue in a recent op-ed in The National Interest titled Why I wont Vote to Add Sweden and Finland to NATO., Finland and Sweden want to join the Atlantic Alliance to head off further Russian aggression in Europe, he wrote. Discovery Company. The reason most countries join NATO is because of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which stipulates that all signatories consider an attack on one member an attack against all. NATO Chief Urges Turkey to Endorse Finland, Sweden Accession, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg left, shakes hands with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu following a press conferences in Istanbul, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Here's why that's bad news for Putin. The United States has given its formal approval for Finland and Sweden to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. His remarks came after Ankara agreed to a trilateral deal with Sweden and Finland, allowing both Nordic countries to be officially invited into NATO. NATO has an open door policy any country can be invited to join if it expresses an interest, as long as it is able and willing to uphold the principles of the blocs founding treaty. Following the war, Finland adopted a neutral stance that remained in place for decades. Sweden and Finland both announced their intention to join NATO in May, after Russias invasion of Ukraine caused a sudden shift in attitudes toward joining the bloc. But Turkey, which joined NATO in 1952, is still not ready to endorse them after months of trilateral talks. Putin sees the alliance as a defense against Russia, despite the fact that it spent much of the post-Soviet era focusing on issues like terrorism and peacekeeping. Turkey also has called for the lifting of an arms embargo imposed following its 2019 incursion into northern Syria to combat Kurdish militants. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, thirdf left, shakes hands with Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, right, next to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, and Finland's President Sauli Niinisto, second right, after signing a memorandum in which Turkey agrees to Finland and Sweden's membership of the defense alliance in Madrid, Spain on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. This is a slam dunk for national security that deserves unanimous bipartisan support.. The actual change is going to be fairly limited.. WASHINGTON The Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a treaty that would expand NATO to include Finland and Sweden, with Republicans and Democrats linking arms to pave the way for one. And I think its necessary, Biden said. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. Only the parliaments of Turkey and Hungary have yet to do so. Sweden and Finland both announced their intention to join NATO in May, after Russias invasion of Ukraine caused a sudden shift in attitudes toward joining the bloc. A Finno-Soviet treaty known as the Agreement of Friendship, signed in 1948 and extended on occasion through the decades, prohibited Finland from joining any military alliance considered hostile to the USSR, or from allowing a Western attack through Finnish territory. The Turkish government wants them to crack down on individuals it considers terrorists, such as supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party and people suspected of orchestrating a failed 2016 coup in Turkey. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. As The Washington Post's Ishaan Tharoor reports today, Finland and Sweden have taken steps toward potentially joining NATO, after decades of resisting such action. Swedens policy of neutrality goes back to the early 1800s, when the country steadfastly stayed out of European conflicts. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is urging Turkey to set aside its reservations over Finland and Sweden joining the military alliance. The vote comes. Discovery Company. 11:44 AM EDT, Thu June 30, 2022, How NATO will change when Finland and Sweden join the alliance. Both Finland, which declared independence from Russia in 1917 after the Bolshevik revolution, and Sweden adopted neutral foreign policy stances during the Cold War, refusing to align with either the Soviet Union or the United States. On August 9, President Joe Biden signed the U.S. Instruments of Ratification, making the United States the 23rd NATO nation to approve the two Nordic countries application to join the strongest, most powerful defensive alliance in the world. But the war in Ukraine has added unprecedented urgency to Sweden and Finlands membership, and the timeline could be accelerated accordingly. We are sending an unmistakable message in my view that NATO is strong, united, and the steps we are taking during this summit are going to further augment our collective strength., Inside Biden's successful six-month bid to expand NATO. Russia's invasion . At the same time, Sweden signed a formal application. Our NATO alliance is the bedrock that has guaranteed democracy in the western world since the end of World War II. President Biden noted the two countries bids for membership in NATO had overwhelming bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate, as was shown in the Senate vote on August 3. In June, Al-Monitor reported that the Biden administration could ditch efforts to secure congressional approval for the sale should Turkey continue to block the Nordic countries' membership bids. CNNs Luke McGee, Nic Robertson, Paul LeBlanc, Per Bergfors Nyberg and Niamh Kennedy and Reuters contributed to this report. 3. Updated HELSINKI, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Finland and Sweden will joint NATO at the same time, their prime ministers said on Friday, presenting a united front to Turkey which has raised questions about . Tags: Associated Press, foreign policy, terrorism. Finlands neutrality has historically proved more difficult, as it shared a long border with an authoritarian superpower. The House voted 394 to 18 last month for a companion resolution to express support for Finland and Sweden joining NATO. Finland and Sweden applied for membership of the worlds biggest security alliance in the months after Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February. "From our perspective, it would be very important that Finland and Sweden would enter. Everything changed when Russia invaded Ukraine, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said in April. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg championed the bids by Sweden and Finland to join the alliance Wednesday and claimed, "All allies agree on the importance of NATO enlargement." "We. Lindsey Graham mocked Putin as the Senate was set to vote on Finland's and Sweden's NATO accession. on Monday said he would vote against Finland's and Sweden's bids to join NATO, a move that would go against most of his colleagues from both sides of the aisle. Here's what to expect from them in the coming months. "It is very important for us, of course, that Finland and Sweden would join NATO hand in hand," Marin told reporters at a joint press conference in Helsinki with her Swedish counterpart. But Russias invasion of Ukraine dramatically accelerated that process, pushing them to pull the trigger on NATO membership. President Biden pointed out that in seeking to join NATO, Finland and Sweden are making a sacred commitment to the core of the NATO Alliance Article 5, which commits each member state to mutual defense: that an attack against one member is an attack against all members. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg left, shakes . (CNN) Sweden and Finland are set formally to end decades of neutrality and join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in a historic breakthrough for the alliance that deals a blow. The new Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, is scheduled to visit Ankara on Nov 8, he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin may take part in an upcoming summit of the G20 grouping of nations in Bali via video link, state news agency RIA said on Thursday, citing the Russian embassy in Indonesia. Copyright 2022 TheAssociated Press. It has no obligation to consider applications, let alone approve them. The U.S. Senate approved a resolution Wednesday evening to support Finland and Sweden in joining NATO -- a crucial step in the quest of the two countries to join the 30-member alliance.