Sweden and Finland set to join NATO in May

[MaxQue]

Finland has announced that their and Sweden's ratification protocols have just been signed, meaning the standard membership action plans and their associated delays have been circumvented. The last step remaining is ratification by all 28 members' legislatures.

The timeline is probably short enough to avoid the extradition cases being resolved beforehand - to be clear, these are likely to end in rejection of extradition requests. Those will anger Turkey, but it won't matter if Finland and Sweden are already in NATO. The remaining wildcard is Hungary.

Canada ratified it already, as Canada doesn't require the involvement of the Legislature, it seems (through it already voted unanimously to encourage other countries and Canada's government to make them enter NATO as quick as possible last month). Foreign minister Mélanie Joly signed it.

Same thing for Denmark it seems and Germany will consider it on Friday.

[MaxQue]

Who are the three remaining Senators, and why did they not vote?

The two women whose shoulders Schumer is putting his arms around are Paivi Nevala, minister counselor of the Finnish Embassy, at left, and Karin Olofsdotter, Sweden's ambassador to the US. That photo was taken ahead of the Senate vote.

Cornyn (COVID quarantine), Leahy (recuperating from a broken hip) and Merkley (back in Oregon,
where his mother is dying)

[MaxQue]

Any news on the remaining 7 countries? Does anyone have a schedule for when their votes are scheduled?

No. Hungary and Turkey will take their time as much as they can; Greece, Slovakia and Czechia are on summer recess. Spain sent it to Parliament on the 3rd, but it is causing significant strain between the PSOE and Podemos. No clue for Portugal.

[MaxQue]

Anything actually happening regarding Sweden any time soon?

Olaf Scholz has recently said that he expects Sweden to be a member by the next NATO leaders' summit in July... which will be almost exactly two months after the first round of the Turkish presidential election.

Until then we're doomed to play charades with Erdotroll.

Even if he changed his mind, the Assembly has been suspended for elections since April 6th. They are coming back the 3rd day after the Supreme Election Board proclaims the results of the elections.

[MaxQue]

So we have to wait until mid-January when the Turkish Grand National Assembly reconvenes, and Turkey finally approves Sweden's bid to join NATO:

Turkish Parliament unlikely to vote on Sweden's NATO bid for weeks

Turkey's parliament is unlikely to hold a full vote on Sweden's bid to join NATO before mid-January, parliamentary sources told AFP Thursday.

Sweden's accession to the US-led Western alliance was approved by the foreign affairs committee on Tuesday, bringing an end in sight to a 19-month standoff that drew the wrath of Turkey's Western partners.

It must now be voted by the full 600-seat parliament, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling alliance holds the majority. The president would then need to sign it into law.

Although Erdogan's party could call for a special session to discuss the measure, it appears likely it will wait until after parliament's scheduled return on January 15.

And then we have to worry about Hungary.  Does anyone know when the Hungarian National Assembly convenes early next year?

If it is the same as the previous years, last week of February.