US Senate backs NATO bid of Finland, Sweden in rebuke to Russia

Washington DC: US Senators have delivered near-unanimous bipartisan approval to NATO membership for Finland and Sweden, calling expansion of the Western defensive bloc a slam-dunk for US national security and a day of reckoning for Russian President Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine.

Wednesday's 95-1 vote for the candidacy of two Western European nations that, until Russia's war against Ukraine, had long avoided military alliances took a crucial step toward expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and its 73-year-old pact of mutual defense among the United States and democratic allies in Europe.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer invited ambassadors of the two nations to the chamber gallery to witness the vote.

President Joe Biden, who has been the principal player rallying global economic and material support for Ukraine, has sought quick entry for the two previously non-militarily aligned northern European nations.

Approval from all member nations currently, 30 is required.