WASHINGTON: The US Senate overwhelmingly voted to approve the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO, with the resolution gaining the support of 95 senators.

Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri cast the lone dissenting vote, contending that the threat posed by China should receive considerably more attention than European security, as per reports.

Finland and Sweden's membership in NATO has the strong support of US President Joe Biden, who in July forwarded the issue to the Senate for consideration.

The decision in Washington came after a vote earlier on Wednesday in the National Assembly of France, where 209 deputies voted in favour of  Sweden and Finland and 46 opposed it. The approval of the accession was already approved by the Senate, the second chamber of the French parliament.

In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Sweden and Finland submitted applications to join the Western Defense Alliance. The two nations have up to now been close allies but not NATO members.

All 30 NATO countries, of which two-thirds have already approved the new members, must ratify the accession procedures before they can go into effect.

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