The Senate on Wednesday rejected an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would have clarified that Article 5 of the NATO treaty does not obviate the need for Congress to declare war.
Article 5 holds that an attack on any NATO member must be treated as an attack on the whole alliance, as part of the collective defense commitment.Sen. Rand Paul introduced the measure as NATO membership for Ukraine is being discussed while the country is at war with nuclear-armed Russia.
Supporters of expanding NATO to include Ukraine believe it would have deterred the Russians from invading in the first place. Opponents worry Ukrainian NATO membership would lead to what Biden has described as “World War III” and that enlarging the alliance near Russia’s borders was a motivating factor in the invasion.Paul’s amendment would have required congressional authorization of a war triggered by Article 5.
A bipartisan group of senators rejected the proposal as lawmakers rush to come up with an agreement on the must-pass NDAA legislation.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Senate advances measure to tie president's hands on NATO withdrawalSenators voted to include a bill that would prevent any U.S. president from withdrawing from NATO in its version of the National Defense Authorization Act on Wednesday.
Read more »
NATO summit: LettersRe “Ukraine gets security pledges, not NATO path” (July 13): Putin feared the fact Ukraine would join NATO one day and he would have U.S. troops parked on Ukraine’s border. Then why would Pu…
Read more »
No Powerball winner, Wednesday's drawing estimated at $1 billionJust last year, one person bought a ticket at the 7-11 Store on Kooser Road in San Jose worth $247 million. Powerball
Read more »
History As It Happens: Whole and Free: NATO and UkraineThere's been talk of Ukraine possibly joining NATO since the early years of post-Cold War Europe, but it never happened. And the allies aren't quite ready to go ahead with membership now, as evidenced by their vaguely-worded commitment issued at the Vilnius summit 'to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance when Allies agree and conditions are met.' From the moment the post-Soviet world started coming into view, when and where NATO should expand has aggravated relations between the U.S. and Moscow. When it came to Ukraine, the country got the worst of both worlds: it was left on the wrong side of Europe's dividing line and Russian leaders were angered by the mere idea of Ukraine entering NATO. In this episode, historian Jeffrey Engel discusses the origins of today's debate about Ukraine's future, whose circumstances could compel the U.S. and its European allies into direct conflict with Russia.
Read more »
US and NATO grapple with critical ammo shortage for Ukraine | CNN PoliticsThe US and Europe are struggling to provide Ukraine with the large amount of ammunition it will need for a prolonged counteroffensive against Russia, and Western officials are racing to ramp up production to avoid shortages on the battlefield that could hinder Ukraine’s progress.
Read more »