Manchin, Capito, 80 Senators Voice Support for Sweden, Finland to Join NATO

Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) today joined a bipartisan group of 80 Senators in sending a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to expedite the Executive Branch’s process to advance Sweden and Finland’s applications for NATO membership, and pledging to work with the administration to ensure swift ratification of the Washington Treaty.

In the letter, led by U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), the Senators noted that NATO’s expansion will send a clear message to Putin and authoritarian leaders across the globe that the free world stands ready to bolster the alliance and defend our values and sovereignty, including through NATO’s open door policy.

“As Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has proven, NATO, along with our democratic partners around the world, is more united than ever in opposition to the illegal acts of war waged by President Putin. Expanding NATO to include Finland and Sweden will send a clear message to Vladimir Putin, and any leader that attempts to follow in his path, that the free world stands ready to defend its values and sovereignty. We will also continue to support NATO’s open-door policy, which affirms that new members are welcome to the alliance,” the Senators wrote.

The Senators also affirmed their support for Sweden and Finland’s applications as part of the Senate’s constitutional role to provide advice and consent for NATO enlargement. During this pivotal moment to our global security, they noted this expansion will further strengthen NATO’s military and diplomatic capabilities to address emerging threats, and mutual security assurances will extend to these two governments under the alliance.