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President Biden on Tuesday signed documents supporting Sweden and Finland’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
“Putin thought he could break us up … weaken our resolve,” Biden said during a news conference announcing US ratification of NATO’s expansion to include Finland and Sweden. “Instead, he gets exactly what he didn’t want. He wanted the Findalization [Finland-ization] NATO, but he gets the NATOization of Finland.”
Before signing the documents, Biden touted the expansion as a “game changer” that would improve security “not just for Europe and the United States, but for the world.”
Biden urged other NATO allies to be quick to ratify the expansion as well, noting the shared values Finland and Sweden share with the 30-member alliance.
“Sweden and Finland have strong democratic institutions, strong militaries and strong and transparent economies that will meet all NATO requirements,” the President said.
The membership of Finland and Sweden will be the first significant expansion of the alliance since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. Her inclusion in the bloc marks a rebuke to Russia amid its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The Senate approved the move in a rare show of bipartisan support, voting 95-1 in favor of the expansion last week. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., was the only senator to vote against the measure, arguing that it would divert focus from China, which he views as America’s key geopolitical enemy.
NATO MAKES SWEDEN AND FINLAND RIGHT IN ONE BIG, BOLD STEP
President Joe Biden holds a press conference. (Fox News)
“We can do more in Europe… more resources, deploy more firepower… or do what we have to do to deter Asia and China. We can’t do both,” Hawley said, according to the Associated Press.
But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell welcomed the news, arguing that the move would strengthen national security.
“Your entry will make NATO stronger and America safer. If any senator is looking for a reasonable excuse to vote no, I wish them the best of luck,” McConnell said.
Biden immediately signaled his support for the measure after the Senate vote.
“I look forward to signing the accession protocols and welcoming Sweden and Finland, two strong democracies with highly capable militaries, to the greatest defense alliance in history,” Biden said in a statement last week after the Senate overwhelmingly approved her membership would have.
Finland and Sweden’s bid to join NATO came in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, with the Kremlin adamantly opposed to joining the alliance.
In the background from left to right: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde sign a memorandum in which Turkey agrees to the membership of Finland and Sweden in the defense alliance on Tuesday, June 28, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
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NATO’s 30 current member states signed the accession protocol for the two countries last month, paving the way for members to formally ratify their membership.
All 30 current NATO members must ratify the decision to allow Finland and Sweden to join before they can be protected by Article 5 of the NATO Charter, which states that an attack on one NATO country is an attack on all members.
Canada, Germany and Italy have already ratified the accession of the two countries.
Michael Lee is a writer at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter @UAMichaelLee