12 minutes agoUS Senate Votes ratification of Swedish, Finland's NATO membership
Periskopi(4 years ago)
(4 years ago)The Senate voted to adopt a resolution to ratify the membership of Sweden and Finland in NATO, a historic decision aimed at strengthening the defence bloc amid Russia's war in Ukraine. NATO formalised its invitation to Sweden and Finland to join the alliance in late June, and the decision must [...]
NATO formalised its invitation to Sweden and Finland to join the alliance in late June, and the decision must go to parliaments and legislatures of 30 member states for eventual ratification.
President Joe Biden submitted protocols for ratification to the Senate in July, paving the way for the vote, which had to be approved by two-thirds of the Senate to succeed.
After the Senate approves the protocols of membership of Sweden and Finland in NATO, the next “in the ratification process is for the president to sign an instrument of ratification of the treaty”, a State Department spokesman for CNN said.
Sweden and Finland both announced their intention to join NATO in May, after Ukraine's Russian invasion prompted a sudden change in attitudes towards membership in the bloc.
The reason why most countries join NATO is due to Article 5, which stipulates that all signatories consider the attack on a member as an attack on everyone. Article 5 has been a cornerstone of the alliance since it was founded in 1949 as a counterweight against the Soviet Union.
