Durbin Statement On Senate Approving Sweden And Finland's Membership In NATO
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the U.S. Senate ratified the accession protocols for Sweden and Finland to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO):
“With Russia’s outrageous and barbaric actions in Ukraine and ongoing threats to others in Europe, the importance of NATO couldn’t be more apparent. Today, the Senate overwhelmingly approved NATO membership for Finland and Sweden, adding two essential democratic partners to the alliance. In the face of one of the greatest transatlantic security threats in a generation, we are sending a clear message to Putin: the NATO alliance is stronger than ever.”
Durbin, Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, recently traveled to Madrid with his Senate colleagues for the NATO summit to discuss congressional support for the transatlantic relationship, as well as continued Russian aggression and interference in western democracies. Before arriving in Madrid, Durbin and his colleagues stopped in Sweden to meet with heads of state and partake in other important bilateral meetings with the respective nations’ administration officials.
-30-