Shaheen & Tillis – Co-Chairs of Senate NATO Observer Group – Welcome Finland to the Transatlantic Alliance

Shaheen and Tillis led the bipartisan resolution in support of Finland and Sweden’s accession into NATO, as well as the bipartisan congressional delegation to the NATO Summit last year.

(Washington, DC) - U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), co-chairs of the Senate NATO Observer Group, issued the following joint statement lauding Finland’s historic accession into NATO:

“We enthusiastically welcome Finland into NATO. Finland’s accession marks a historic moment for the transatlantic Alliance and signals the Alliance’s unity against the Kremlin’s unprovoked war in Ukraine and the threat Putin poses to democracies around the world,” said Shaheen and Tillis. “If Vladimir Putin has achieved one thing, it is encouraging a global response to counter his aggression and the strongest iteration of NATO in the Alliance’s existence. We applaud our Allies for standing together to approve Finland’s accession protocols, but more work remains to enhance our collective defense of the international world order against Putin’s delusional hegemonic aspirations. Sweden is also a critical partner and we continue to urge Türkiye and Hungary to join the rest of the Alliance and swiftly approve Sweden’s entry to NATO.”

As co-chairs of the Senate NATO Observer Group, which they re-started together in 2018, the Senators lead bipartisan efforts in the Senate in support of the transatlantic Alliance and specifically Finland and Sweden's accession into NATO. 

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