The US Senate has taken a first step towards also formally supporting Sweden and Finland’s membership applications to NATO.
The Senate Committee on Foreign Policy Relations voted unanimously to urge the White House to ensure that the formalities are completed as soon as possible, reports Politico.
Only then can the Senate begin to take a position on the issue, a work that is believed to be able to begin in June and be completed in August. The Senate is expected to vote by a wide margin through the countries’ application.
Both Democrat Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell support the decision, and unanimous approval is an unusual feature of the otherwise divided Washington.
President Joe Biden welcomed the countries’ application as early as May, but it must be formally approved by each Member State’s parliament.
– I look forward to soon being able to call Sweden and Finland our friends, partners – and NATO allies, Biden said in connection with Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinistö’s meeting in Washington in May.