[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 86 (Thursday, May 19, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S2625]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





SENATE RESOLUTION 646--EXPRESSING THE SENATE'S SUPPORT FOR FINLAND AND 
 SWEDEN'S ACCESSION INTO THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION (NATO) 
         AND THE EXPEDITED RATIFICATION OF ACCESSION PROTOCOLS

  Mr. RISCH (for himself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Schumer, Mr. McConnell, 
Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Cardin, and Mr. Coons) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations:

                              S. Res. 646

       Whereas Sweden and Finland are substantial contributors to 
     the international community and play important roles in the 
     United Nations, the European Union, the Organization for 
     Security Cooperation in Europe, and other international 
     organizations;
       Whereas, during the Cold War and since its end, Sweden and 
     Finland sought to maintain peace in their region through 
     policies of military non-alignment and neutral relations 
     between Russia and the West, while nonetheless remaining true 
     to their values and condemning the Russian government's 
     authoritarian acts;
       Whereas the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation 
     on February 24, 2022, forced the transatlantic community to 
     reconsider the geopolitical stability of their region;
       Whereas NATO is the most successful political-military 
     alliance in history and, guided by a set of common values, 
     provides collective defense to nearly 1,000,000,000 people 
     living in its member nations;
       Whereas the Russian Federation's invasion of Ukraine marks 
     the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II, 
     representing a dramatic shift for European security and 
     requiring NATO to change its policies to increase, modernize, 
     and enhance its force posture and to create more strategic 
     depth to adequately confront the new challenges, specifically 
     those posed by Russia and China;
       Whereas Sweden and Finland have provided incredible support 
     to NATO-led operations, such as the International Security 
     Assistance Force in Afghanistan, KFOR in Kosovo, and 
     peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina;
       Whereas both Finland and Sweden have been model members of 
     NATO's Partnership Interoperability Initiative since its 
     founding in 2014, and of NATO's Partnership for Peace since 
     its founding in 1994;
       Whereas NATO has a range of capabilities that can enhance 
     the ability of Sweden and Finland to defend and deter 
     conflict in their region;
       Whereas Sweden and Finland have well-developed professional 
     militaries and sophisticated defense industries that can 
     provide NATO with new capabilities to bolster collective 
     defense;
       Whereas Sweden and Finland have proven their willingness 
     and capability to contribute to cooperative international 
     security efforts by donating military and humanitarian 
     assistance to Ukraine and imposing coordinated sanctions on 
     Russia;
       Whereas each prospective NATO member is expected to have a 
     functioning democratic political system based on a market 
     economy, fair treatment of minority populations, a commitment 
     to resolve conflicts peacefully, an ability and willingness 
     to make contribution to NATO operations, and a commitment to 
     democratic civil-military relations and institutions;
       Whereas, alongside a number of our European allies, Finland 
     and Sweden have recently announced the expansion and reform 
     of their militaries, efforts that can be maximized if 
     channeled toward collective security through the NATO 
     framework;
       Whereas the Arctic region, which holds increasing 
     importance for United States and European security, has 
     already seen encroachments from Russia and China, and Sweden 
     and Finland are uniquely poised to address these regional 
     challenges and help NATO confront them; and
       Whereas Russia has threatened Sweden and Finland with 
     ``serious military and political consequences should it 
     choose to join NATO'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) welcomes Finland and Sweden's decision to join NATO;
       (2) acknowledges that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has 
     dramatically changed the security situation in Europe, and 
     that the reform and expansion of NATO is key to ensuring a 
     safe and prosperous future for the United States and critical 
     allies and partners;
       (3) recognizes that Sweden and Finland have surpassed the 
     qualifications expected of prospective members and that both 
     countries have much to contribute and gain from membership in 
     the NATO alliance;
       (4) reaffirms its support for NATO's collective security 
     commitment and for maximizing our allies' combined defense 
     capabilities through NATO coordination and cooperation;
       (5) calls on the President to move expeditiously to 
     complete all documents and reports needed to support the 
     Senate's approval of the accession protocols; and
       (6) calls on all NATO members to move rapidly to complete 
     their ratification processes.

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