The House of Representatives of the US Congress passed a resolution supporting the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO, reports The Hill.
The resolution was supported by 394 votes, 18 Republicans voted against. Also, according to the publication, two Democrats and 17 Republicans did not vote..
The resolution supports the "
The resolution also opposes any attempts by the Russian Federation to respond hostilely to the decision of Finland and Sweden to join the Alliance and calls on NATO members to meet their defense spending obligations..
The desire of Finland and Sweden to join NATO intensified, especially after Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (Democratic) expressed support for the resolution and stressed the value these countries will bring to the Alliance.
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He also called for Russia's "
“Vladimir Putin must not win this war. Not only for the sake of the Ukrainians and their extreme courage, and the courage and leadership of Zelensky, their president, but because the free world must send a very strong, clear and unmistakable signal that tyranny will not win,” he said..
Congressman Michael Turner, a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee and author of the resolution, said Finland and Sweden will be important to NATO security..
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“Finland and Sweden have well-trained armed forces, modern sophisticated weapons systems and have committed to allocate two percent of their gross domestic product to defense spending.. Both armies are highly compatible with NATO forces and have participated in numerous NATO-led operations,” he added..
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NATO has officially begun the process of admitting Sweden and Finland to the Alliance, all 30 leaders spoke in favor of this.
Also, the leaders of Turkey, Sweden and Finland signed a memorandum following the talks held in Madrid on the prospects for the entry of Helsinki and Stockholm into NATO.
However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again threatened to block the NATO membership process for Sweden and Finland, despite an agreement reached at the end of June to give the green light to their application..
Moscow reacts nervously to such a prospect of expanding the Alliance. But will Russia open a \? About this - in the article by Alina Gritsenko \?