Sen. Josh Hawley’s opposition to adding Finland and Sweden to NATO amid historic tensions with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine is leading even other Republicans to criticize his position. In a recent op-ed echoing former President Donald Trump’s “America First” approach to foreign policy, Hawley argued that NATO expansion would spread the US too thin in terms of its security commitments in Europe. The Missouri Republican said the US should prioritize challenging China. “We need to do less in Europe (and elsewhere) to prioritize China and Asia,” Hawley wrote. “Russia is still a threat, but the Chinese Communist Party is much bigger.” But Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas told Politico that Hawley was “wrong.” “We are not defeating China by backing down from the rest of the world. We are defeating China by standing with our allies against our enemies,” Cruz said. Similarly, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida wrote an op-ed that served as a direct rebuttal to Hawley’s position on the issue. The article was headlined, “A stronger NATO allows America to focus on Communist China threat.” “A strong and unified NATO is a powerful asset in the fight against Beijing,” Rubio wrote. “When Finland and Sweden join the ranks of the alliance and the free peoples of Europe become stronger than ever, more American resources will be available to focus on confronting Communist China. If we don’t rise to the challenge, it will be too late and Americans will be held hostage by a totalitarian regime half a world away.” The Senate is set to vote on a resolution to ratify Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership on Wednesday. There is strong support on both sides of the aisle for adding the Nordic countries to the alliance as the West continues to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian invaders. Finland and Sweden have historically been neutral or militarily nonaligned countries, and their move to join NATO is one of the most significant consequences of Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine. In May, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that Finland and Sweden would be “important additions to NATO.” “I think the United States should be first in line to ratify the treaty for both of these countries to join,” he said. The rift between Hawley, a potential contender for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, and his fellow Republicans on the issue may be indicative of Trump’s continued influence on the GOP. Trump has been highly critical of NATO during his time in the White House, often going after colleagues on the issue of defense spending and making misleading comments about how the alliance is funded in the process. Hawley also took note of defense spending in his op-ed, writing, “It is time for our European allies to do more. In particular, they must take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense by investing more in their own militaries.” Rubio responded to this point in his op-ed, stating, “Finland and Sweden are strong, stable countries with a long history of security cooperation with NATO allies. They are committed to national defense and will meet their NATO obligations . Finland already spends more than the required 2% of gross domestic product on its military, and Sweden is on the fast track to doing the same. Both nations require military service from their citizens.” Hawley has repeatedly been an outlier among Republicans in his stance on how the U.S. should approach Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine. He was among a small group of Republicans who voted against a $40 billion aid package to Ukraine in May, for example, and also sparked controversy in February for suggesting the U.S. withdraw its support for Ukraine’s NATO membership. The White House accused Hawley of “parroting the talking points of Russian propagandist leaders.” Russia strongly opposes Ukraine’s addition to NATO and has blamed the alliance, in part, for its unprovoked invasion of the former Soviet republic. Hawley’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.