WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement on Sweden’s accession to NATO:
“Nineteen months after the accession protocol was signed, I am grateful the last country, Hungary, has finally ratified Sweden as a member of NATO. While it is disappointing it took this long, Sweden has a strong dedication to security in the North Atlantic and its submarine capabilities will be a great help to NATO defenses. In recent years, Sweden has rapidly increased its defense expenditures and now spends over 2% of its GDP on defense.
“NATO’s newest members, Sweden and Finland, have some of the most capable militaries in Europe. Their decision to join NATO in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine makes clear to the Kremlin that Europe is united in defending transatlantic security.”
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