The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on the proposal of Finland and Sweden to NATO on Wednesday.
According to Yle’s US correspondent, it appeared that the United States was lagging behind and acting as a mediator in the negotiations – at least for the time being Iida Tikka.
Right from the start, a Republican senator James RischThe opening remarks made clear which role the United States preferred in the negotiations.
Risch said he thought it was best to leave the talks between Finland, Sweden and Turkey and keep the US in the background. However, he added that membership of NATO in the two Nordic countries must be ratified, as this is vital.
Frustration with Turkey was also expressed during the consultation. Democratic senator Chris Van Hollen made this clear in his remarks, emphasizing that although he hoped for constructive discussions with Turkey, he believed the situation to be skewed.
Van Hollen said he wanted to support the ongoing talks, but acknowledged that Finland’s and Sweden’s positions were largely in line with the United States with regard to the fight against Kurdish forces in Syria’s democratic forces or Isis and terrorism.
After Hollen, Democratic Senator and Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee Bob Menendez said it was concerned that Turkey could try to get something from the United States if it took part in the negotiations.
After consultation with the Democratic Senator Chris Coons told Yle that it was difficult to see what Turkey could demand more from Sweden and Finland. In any case, Coons saw the U.S. involvement as a bad idea and added that Turkeyโs actions threatened to significantly weaken U.S.-Turkey relations.
“Deep support over NATO” for Finland’s membership
The Deputy Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs spoke at Wednesday’s sitting Karen Donfried Washington said it understood the talks between the parties earlier this week had been constructive.
"We are confident that this will be resolved in a positive way. There is broad and deep support for the accession of Finland and Sweden in the NATO Alliance." he said.
Asked if he believes all parties will be on the same page by next week’s Madrid summit, Donfried replied: "I will say that we will certainly strive for that."
As the consultation progressed, Russia was often mentioned, but the country’s possible reaction to NATO enlargement was little discussed.
The Committee on Foreign Affairs has clearly supported Finland’s and Sweden’s membership of NATO and voted unanimously in favor of speeding up their accession process at the beginning of June.
There were also no dissenting votes at Wednesday’s hearing.
Source: The Nordic Page