Josh Hawley to oppose Sweden, Finland joining NATO

Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley announced on Monday that he would oppose allowing Finland and Sweden to join NATO amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Baltic Sea countries applied to join the military bloc following Moscow's February attack on its western neighbor. While both nations remained neutral during the Cold War, the ongoing conflict has made Stockholm and Helsinki fearful of Russian expansion.

“Finland and Sweden want to join the Atlantic Alliance to head off further Russian aggression in Europe. That is entirely understandable given their location and security needs,” Hawley wrote in an op-ed, before explaining that such a move to contain Russia would invest the United States too heavily in Europe and unable to allocate resources toward containing China, whom he considers a greater threat to Washington.

“America’s greatest foreign adversary doesn’t loom over Europe. It looms in Asia. I am talking of course about the People’s Republic of China. And when it comes to Chinese imperialism, the American people should know the truth: the United States is not ready to resist it," he wrote. "Expanding American security commitments in Europe now would only make that problem worse—and America, less safe.”

“In the face of this stark reality, we must choose. We must do less in Europe (and elsewhere) in order to prioritize China and Asia," he asserted.

To join NATO, an applicant nation must receive unanimous support from all of the existing member countries. Turkey initially announced opposition to Sweden and Finland's admission, citing concerns the nations did not do enough to address terrorism. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, however, ultimately relented leaving the Baltic nations with no remaining NATO heads of state opposition their entry.