The US Senate yesterday approved the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO, which represents the most significant expansion of the 30-member alliance since the 1990s, and which comes after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Senate voted with 95 votes "for" and one "against" to support the ratification of the accession documents of the two Scandinavian countries, significantly exceeding the two-thirds majority of 67 votes required for ratification.

Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has repeatedly warned both countries against joining the alliance.

All 30 NATO members signed the accession protocol for Sweden and Finland in July, allowing them to join the US-led nuclear alliance once all member states ratify the decision.

Ratification of the agreements could take up to a year, although several countries have already approved it, including Canada, Germany and Italy.

Senators from both parties gave clear and strong support for both countries' membership, describing them as important allies whose modern militaries already work closely with NATO.

"The qualifications of these two prosperous, democratic nations are outstanding and will serve to strengthen the NATO alliance," said Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, seeking the support of senators before the vote.