United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, released the following statement after voting in support of the accession of Finland and Sweden to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO):
“The United States stands strong with those who step up and stand strong with us. Finland already spends two percent of its GDP on national defense, and Sweden is ramping up defense spending to meet this goal in the next few years. In addition to being strategically located in northern Europe, both countries also have modern and capable militaries.
"Finland and Sweden’s addition to NATO will not only be accretive to our alliance’s overall capabilities but also send a resounding message to Vladimir Putin - and any other authoritarian world leader who would emulate his military aggression - that the free world stands united in defense of liberty and sovereignty.”