(VOVWORLD) - The US Senate ratified the entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO Wednesday, strongly backing the expansion of the transatlantic alliance in the face of Russia's 'special military operation' in Ukraine.
 Illustrative photo (Source: Reuters) |
The Senate voted 95 to 1 in favor of the two Nordic countries' membership, making the US the 23rd of the 30 NATO countries to formally endorse their accession. France approved their membership on Tuesday and Italy did the same on Wednesday.
The Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, and Turkey have yet to formally agree to their entry. All 30 NATO members must agree before Finland and Sweden, longtime adjunct partners of the alliance, can be officially admitted.