US Senate Panel Advances Bipartisan Measure Supporting Sweden, Finland Joining NATO

WASHINGTON, (Sputnik) - The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday advanced a bipartisan measure supporting Sweden's and Finland's accession to NATO, Chairman Bob Menendez said in a press release.

“The committee’s passage of this resolution is a testament to the bipartisan support for Finland and Sweden joining NATO... With this bipartisan vote of confidence, we signal that we stand ready to take the necessary steps to facilitate their accession,” Menendez said.

The resolution also encourages all other NATO members to rapidly complete their ratification process to allow Sweden and Finland into the military alliance. The resolution will soon head to the Senate floor for a full vote.

US officials have expressed confidence that Sweden and Finland will be able to work out concerns being raised by Turkey, which is so far threatening to veto their accession.

On May 18, Finland and Sweden submitted their NATO membership applications, abandoning decades of neutrality and citing a shift in the security situation in Europe shattered by the Ukrainian crisis.

Turkey blocked the application review process over Finland’s and Sweden’s long-standing support of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which Turkey has designated as a terrorist organization.

On May 25, the Finnish and Swedish delegations traveled to Ankara for talks, yet an ultimate settlement had not been reached, with Turkey still blocking the two countries from joining NATO.