#Biden #signs #ratification #Finland #Swedens #NATO #offers
President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed the US ratification of Finland and Sweden’s NATO bids, moving a step closer to expanding the Western alliance in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Biden said the two northern European countries would become “strong, reliable, highly capable new allies” by making the “sacred commitment” to defend each other in the US-led transatlantic alliance.
Earlier this month, the Senate voted 95-1 to allow the Nordic countries to join, making the United States the 23rd of NATO’s 30 countries to give its formal approval. Unanimous support is required for new members.
Biden, who has made restoring traditional US alliances a cornerstone of his administration after Donald Trump turned ties around the world upside down, hailed NATO as “the bedrock of American security.”
“The United States is committed to the transatlantic alliance.”
Biden also praised Finland and Sweden, saying both have “strong democratic institutions, strong militaries, and strong and transparent economies” that would now strengthen NATO.
President Vladimir Putin’s Russia “destroyed peace and security in Europe” by invading Ukraine, Biden said. “Putin thought he could break us apart… Instead, he’s getting exactly what he didn’t want.”
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#Biden #signs #ratification #Finland #Swedens #NATO #offers
