Live updates | Senate's McConnell: US backs Sweden on NATO
WASHINGTON -- Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell says the U.S. would move quickly to approve Sweden’s application to join the NATO military alliance.
McConnell said during a press conference in Stockholm that while other countries in the Western alliance may be able to approve Sweden’s application sooner, he had no doubt it will be approved in the U.S. Congress, likely by August.
“We anticipate moving this rapid -- in a more rapid fashion than past applications for NATO,” McConnell said
“We hope to approve it before August,” he said. “We are confident it will be approved.”
The minority leader was visiting the region with a delegation of Republican senators in a show of support as the region confronts Russian aggression with its invasion of Ukraine.
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:
— Russian war effort in Ukraine runs into diplomatic, military hurdles
— EU’s Russia sanctions effort slows over oil dependency
— Sweden ends neutrality, joins Finland in seeking NATO berth
— McDonald’s to sell its Russian busines s, try to keep workers
— Follow all AP stories on Russia’s war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Sweden’s prime minister has announced that Sweden will join Finland in seeking NATO membership in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a historic shift that comes after more than 200 years of military nonalignment in the Nordic country.
The move on Monday, which is likely to upset the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin, came after neighboring Finland announced Sunday that it too would seek to join the 30-country military...
