WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. Senators have delivered an overwhelming bipartisan vote ratifying NATO membership for Finland and Sweden.
Lawmakers call Wednesday’s vote to expand the Western defensive bloc a “slam-dunk” for U.S. national security and a day of reckoning for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
President Joe Biden has sought quick entry for the two previously non-militarily aligned northern European countries to the Western military alliance.
Senators invited the ambassadors of Finland and Sweden to the chamber for Wednesday’s debate and vote.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who visited Kyiv and the region earlier this year, urged a unanimous show of approval.
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