McConnell: Finland, Sweden ‘important additions’ to NATO
WASHINGTON – Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday that Finland and Sweden would be “important additions” to NATO as he led a delegation of GOP senators to the region in a show of support against Russia’s aggression.
McConnell also called on President Joe Biden to designate Russia as state sponsor of terrorism over its invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters from Stockholm, McConnell said that Finland and Sweden, unlike some members of the Western alliance, would likely be in a position to pay their NATO obligations and would offer significant military capabilities.
“They will be important additions to NATO, if they choose to join,” he said, adding, ”I think the United States ought to be first in line to ratify the treaty for both these countries to join.”
McConnell is a longtime NATO supporter, and his trip to the Nordic nations with Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, John Barrasso of Wyoming and John Cornyn of Texas follows their surprise stop Saturday in Ukraine’s capital to express solidarity in the fight against the Kremlin.
McConnell was in Sweden while leading diplomats from the 30 NATO member states met in Berlin to discuss providing more support to Ukraine and moves by Finland, Sweden and others to join NATO in the face of threats from Russia.
Several hours after Finland’s announcement that it would seek to join NATO, Sweden’s governing party also endorsed becoming an alliance member, a move that could lead to the country’s application within days.
The office of Finland’s president, Sauli Niinisto, said the American lawmakers will meet with the president to discuss Finland’s NATO membership, the Ukraine war and other issues. McConnell’s office confirmed the visit.
But NATO-member Turkey is “not favorable” toward those two additions, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday, complicating the move to bolster the alliance as a deterrent to Russia.
The high-level meetings comes as the Congress is working to approve $40 in military aid to Ukraine, a substantial infusion of support for the region. The measure includes $6 billion for Ukraine for intelligence, equipment and training for its forces, plus $4 billion in financing to help Ukraine and NATO allies build up their militaries.
The latest round of assistance would push U.S. support to Ukraine beyond $50 billion, which has raised concerns from some conservative Republicans in the party’s isolationist wing wary of the price of overseas spending. The measure stalled in the Senate over the objection of Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, but McConnell is determined to see that it passes in the coming week.
“We’ll get the job done,” McConnell told reporters on a conference call.
McConnell said it is in America’s interest to support Ukraine as he brushed aside criticism from some fellow Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, about the level of spending. It’s a reemergence of the isolationist “America First” approach to foreign policy by a faction of the Republican Party.