The Senate on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to ratify Finland and Sweden’s membership in NATO, in a show of bipartisan support for the Western alliance’s expansion spurred on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The chamber approved the resolution 95-1 with the sole objection coming from Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri Republican, who argued that further NATO expansion will distract the U.S. from confronting the rising threat posed by China.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, praised the overwhelming vote in favor of the two countries’ accession as a symbol of U.S. defiance in the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.