The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly ratified adding Sweden and Finland to NATO, ending decades of neutrality by the European countries in a nod against Russian President Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine. The Senate voted 95-1, far beyond the two-thirds majority needed to approve the treaties. “Putin is strengthening the NATO alliance, and nothing shows it better than the vote,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) was the lone voice in opposition and before the vote urged his colleagues to follow suit, citing American foreign policy and protecting American security and jobs. “Is it in the United States’ interest? I fear that some in this town have lost sight of that,” he said. He also wrote an editorial for the National Interest headlined “Why I Won’t Vote to Add Sweden and Finland to NATO.” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell argued that approving the move would “only strengthen the most successful military alliance in human history.” He called it a “slam dunk for national security that deserves unanimous bipartisan support. If any senator is looking for a defensible excuse to vote no, I wish them good luck.”
