WASHINGTON — Montenegro is set to become NATO's newest member after the U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to ratify the tiny Balkan nation's entry into the alliance. Montenegro's membership gives NATO a contiguous border along the Adriatic coast. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson earlier this month pressed the Senate to act quickly on Montenegro's admission. Tillerson said the U.S. was one of the last remaining NATO members not to have given Montenegro's bid full parliamentary approval. Wary of Russian influence in the still-volatile region, NATO wanted Montenegro to join the alliance.

Source: New York Times March 28, 2017 21:33 UTC