The US Senate approved Finland’s NATO membership almost unanimously – “Finland is a country of fighters”

The United States has accepted Finland and Sweden as NATO members. The decision-making power rested with the senate, which ratified the membership applications by a vote of 95–1. In addition, one senator abstained. The Senate has a total of one hundred members.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called the NATO decision historic just before the vote.

– This is important both because of its content and as a message to Russia. It cannot intimidate Europe or the United States.

It was already clear in advance that there is almost unanimous support in the Senate for both Finland and Sweden to join NATO. Both Schumer and the Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell were committed to implementing the ratification quickly.

– Joining the countries makes NATO stronger and the United States safer. “If any senator is looking for a defensible excuse to vote against this, I wish them luck in their search,” McConnell said before the Senate floor.

The senators discussed Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO applications for almost three and a half hours. 16 senators spoke on the subject.

Almost all senators praised Finland and Sweden as future model students of NATO. Many also stated that the alliance is important in a situation where Russia has attacked its neighboring country.

– Sweden and Finland meet and exceed NATO’s requirements in every way. The merits of these two prosperous and democratic countries are outstanding, and they strengthen the NATO alliance, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, the Democrat Bob Mendez said at the beginning of the proceedings.

Republican Senator Tom Cotton was eager to review Finland’s military history in his support speech.

– Finland is a country of fighters, which frankly has a long and proud tradition of wounding and killing Russian invaders.

Cotton also told about the history of the Molotov cocktail in the winter war and mentions the legendary sniper Simo Häyhä.

Republican Susan Collins recalled how the President Sauli Niinistö illustrated Finland’s geopolitical position to him in the spring.

– The president of Finland took us in front of his home and pointed to the right, where Tallinn and Estonia are only 50 miles away on the other side of the Baltic Sea. And then he pointed to the left and told me that St. Petersburg, Russia is only 200 miles away.

A Republican senator voted against the membership application of Finland and Sweden Josh Hawley. In his speech, he emphasized the threat of China and the fact that the United States is wasting its resources and attention in Europe.

– The joining of Finland and Sweden would bring challenges. Sweden still does not spend two percent on its defense and does not plan to until 2028. Finland has announced a one-time defense budget increase, but it is not clear whether it plans to maintain the higher level, Hawley said.

Along with Hawley, NATO expansion was doubted by a Republican Rand Paulwho ultimately voted no.

His initiative, according to which the Senate would have submitted a reservation to NATO in connection with the decision that, despite the security guarantees, only Congress can decide on military actions in the United States, was defeated by votes of 87-10.

Instead, a Republican by Dan Sullivan the resolution initiative to require all NATO countries to spend at least two percent of their gross national product on defense was approved in the senate.

The United States became the 23rd NATO member country that has accepted Finland into the alliance. In total, there are 30 member states in the military alliance.

Turkey’s final position is still unclear, although in June it accepted the invitation of Finland and Sweden to become NATO members.