美国参议院周三晚上批准了一项决议，支持芬兰和瑞典加入北约这是两国寻求加入30国联盟的关键一步。
参议院以95票对1票，密苏里州共和党参议员乔希·霍利投了反对票，肯塔基州共和党参议员兰德·保罗投了反对票。，投票“出席”
投票是在参议院外交关系委员会批准芬兰和瑞典加入北约几周后进行的。立法者正在努力在八月休假前批准此事。
今年5月，芬兰和瑞典几天后宣布正式加入北约，结束了在俄罗斯入侵乌克兰后长期保持的中立立场。他们在5月18日同时递交了申请。
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, flanked by Paivi Nevala, minister counselor of the Finnish Embassy, left, and Karin Olofsdotter, Sweden's ambassador to the U.S., welcomes diplomats from Sweden and Finland just before the Senate vote to ratify NA...Show moreundefined
J.斯科特·阿普尔怀特/美联社
所有30个北约成员国必须批准这两个国家的加入。七个国家留下。
在周三的投票中，参议院少数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔。在一次演讲中含蓄地抨击了保罗和霍利，称“他们的加入将使北约更加强大，美国更加安全。如果任何参议员正在寻找一个合理的借口来投反对票，我祝他们好运。”
霍利支持前总统唐纳德·特朗普，称美国可以向北约投入更多资金和火力，“或者做我们需要做的事情来威慑亚洲和中国。我们不能两者兼得。”
保罗一直致力于让美国远离国外冲突。他提出了一项修正案，大多数人拒绝寻求确保国会在授权军事力量方面的作用不会被北约公约的共同防御承诺所篡夺第五条。
参议院多数党领袖查克·舒默(Chuck Schumer)对参议院的投票表示赞同，在推特上说“鉴于(俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京)在乌克兰进行的野蛮、不道德和不公正的战争，这一问题变得更加紧迫。”
乔·拜登总统感谢包括舒默和麦康奈尔在内的一些参议员快速推进了批准进程。
总统在一份声明中说:“这一历史性的投票发出了一个重要信号，表明美国两党对北约的持续承诺，并确保我们的联盟准备好应对今天和明天的挑战。”
enate votes to support Finland and Sweden joining NATO
The U.S. Senate approved a resolution Wednesday evening to supportFinland and Sweden in joining NATO-- a crucial step in the quest of the two countries to join the 30-member alliance.
The Senate voted 95-1, with Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley voting no and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voting "present."
The vote comes several weeks after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved admitting Finland and Sweden into NATO. Lawmakers were working to approve the matter before their August break.
Finland and Sweden announced their decision to formally join NATO within days of each other in May, ending long-held positions of neutrality in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They simultaneously submitted their applications on May 18.
All 30 NATO members must ratify the accession of the two countries. Seven countriesremain.
During Wednesday's vote, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., took a veiled swipe at Paul and Hawley in a floor speech, saying, "Their accession will make NATO stronger and America more secure. If any senator is looking for a defensible excuse to vote no, I wish them good luck."
Hawley aligned himself with former President Donald Trump, saying the U.S. could devote more funds and firepower to NATO "or do what we need to do to deter Asia and China. We cannot do both."
Paul has always worked to keep the U.S. out of foreign conflicts. He offered an amendment that most rejected seeking to ensure that Congress' role in authorizing military force would not be usurped by the NATO pact's common defense commitment, known asArticle 5.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., applauded the Senate's vote,saying on Twitterthat it is "all the more urgent given [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's barbaric, immoral and unjustified war in Ukraine."
President Joe Biden thanked a number of senators, including Schumer and McConnell, for moving the ratification process along quickly.
"This historic vote sends an important signal of the sustained, bipartisan U.S. commitment to NATO, and to ensuring our Alliance is prepared to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow," the president said in a statement.
