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[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 646 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 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.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 19, 2022

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
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.

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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