Live: French parliament backs accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO

Issued on: 03/08/2022 – 06:34

2:05am: US Senate will hold a vote Wednesday on Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO

The US Senate will hold votes on Wednesday on approving both Finland and Sweden’s accession into NATO, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on Tuesday.

Schumer said the debate will begin at 1:30pm ET (1730 GMT).

1:35am: French parliament ratifies accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO

France’s National Assembly voted to ratify the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO on Tuesday after the historic decision by the two countries to give up their neutrality. The measure passed by a vote of 209 in favor and 46 against.

France joins “twenty allies” who “have already ratified the protocols,” French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said.

All thirty NATO member states need to formally ratify the measure before Sweden and Finland can enjoy the full protection of Article 5 of the NATO Charter in the event of an attack. Meanwhile, Turkey is threatening to “freeze” the process, accusing the two Scandinavian countries of aiding the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its allies that Ankara considers terrorist organizations.

12:30am: Woman believed to be Putin’s ‘girlfriend’ hit in latest round of US sanctions

The United States blacklisted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s purported girlfriend and the tycoon owner of the second-largest estate in London Tuesday in the latest round of sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.

Also hit with US business bans were several other oligarchs believed to be close to Putin, four officials Russia has named to administer occupied territories in Ukraine, and around two dozen high technology institutes and companies, including key state-backed electronics entities.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and REUTERS)