NATO notched a significant breakthrough late Monday — just hours before the start of a two-day summit in Vilnius — when Turkey agreed to stop blocking Sweden’s bid to join the defense alliance.
(Bloomberg) — NATO notched a significant breakthrough late Monday — just hours before the start of a two-day summit in Vilnius — when Turkey agreed to stop blocking Sweden’s bid to join the defense alliance.
The enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s northern flank heralds one of the most prominent changes in the European security landscape after Russia’s aggression led to shifts including a ramp-up of defense spending in Germany and plans to bring back conscription in France.
US President Joe Biden will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later Tuesday, when the two will likely discuss Turkey’s request to purchase F-16s. He also plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Latest Coverage:
- Turkey Agrees to Back Sweden’s NATO Bid in Boost to Alliance
- Erdogan Links Sweden’s NATO Membership to Turkey’s EU Bid
- Europe Can’t Supply Ukraine With Weapons Fast Enough, Here’s Why
- Zelenskiy to Visit NATO to Rally Support for Ukraine Membership
All times local in Vilnius, CET + 1 hour:
Stoltenberg Proposes Fast-Track Membership Process for Ukraine (11:35 a.m.)
When the time comes, NATO would put Ukraine on a faster track to join the alliance than is typically required under a plan proposed by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
The streamlined plan would remove the requirement for a so-called membership action plan to prepare the country for joining, Stoltenberg said Tuesday in Vilnius.
“This will turn the membership program process for Ukraine from a two-step process to a one-step process,” he said.
Finland Wants Smooth Path for Ukraine to Join (10:10 a.m.)
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen welcomed the breakthrough between Turkey and Sweden as a “huge deal” for Sweden, Finland and the alliance as a whole, adding that “the Baltic, the high North and the Arctic region all benefit from this.”
NATO allies are also set to provide Ukraine with a package of long-term support, including more concrete language about its membership prospects. “Finland’s position is that it’s important that we make the process for Ukraine as smooth as possible,” Valtonen said in an interview on the sidelines of the summit.
She said her country will help Ukraine to meet the criteria for membership, on the military side but also in areas related to society and democracy.
Stoltenberg Says Ammunition Remains a Challenge (9:55 a.m.)
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said more allies are signing new contracts to boost the supply of key military items — with allies making the biggest new investments in defense in decades — and production is gradually increasing.
“There is a challenge on Ukraine running low of ammunition,” he said in Vilnius.
Hungary Is Ready to Ratify Sweden’s NATO Bid (9:45 a.m.)
Hungary supports Sweden’s NATO accession and it remains a “technical matter” to close the lengthy ratification process in the parliament in Budapest, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Tuesday.
Szijjarto said last week that Hungary will back Sweden’s bid to join the military alliance once Turkey, the other holdout, gives a sign that it’s also ready to do so. Turkey has now given such a signal, though Szijjarto didn’t explicitly refer to that in his Facebook post on his departure for the NATO summit in Vilnius.
“It’s a purely technical matter to close the ratification process now,” Szijjarto said.
UK Signs Defense Contract With BAE Systems (9:31 a.m.)
The UK has signed a new £190 million ($245 million) contact with BAE Systems PLC to produce more artillery shells for use by Britain and its allies. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday will confirm that the UK’s production capacity of 155mm artillery ammunition has increased eight-fold, allowing it to replenish its stockpiles due to the injection of an extra £5 billion in funding over the last year.
Sunak will push for further joint NATO efforts to increase shared capacity of missile and ammunition production at the summit in Vilnius, according to a UK government statement.
Biden Looks to Move Forward With F-16 Sale to Turkey (9:05 a.m.)
The US will progress with Turkey’s request to purchase F-16s, according to US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. US President Joe Biden will meet with Erdogan later Tuesday.
“Biden has been clear and unequivocal — for months he supported the transfer of F-16s,” Sulllivan told reporters on Tuesday. “He has placed no caveats or conditions on that and he intends to move forward.”
Congress must approve significant U.S. arms sales to foreign allies and a bipartisan group of senators had told Biden earlier this year that lawmakers shouldn’t consider the $20 billion sale of warplanes until the country ratifies Sweden’s membership.
Back in Washington, Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Robert Menendez, one of the biggest holdouts, appeared to be softening his position on Monday when quizzed by journalists. He said “there may be a path forward” in the “next week.”
Turkey Says It Will Back Sweden’s NATO Accession (9:05 a.m.)
Turkey agreed to support Sweden’s NATO bid in a major breakthrough for the military alliance’s push to strengthen its defenses following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Turkey will ask its parliament to advance Sweden’s membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization “as soon as possible,” alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Monday in Vilnius.
“Completing Sweden’s accession to NATO is a historic step that benefits the security of all NATO allies at this critical time,” Stoltenberg said in Vilnius. “I will not give you the exact dates for that. But this is a clear commitment.”
US Says NATO to Agree to Boost Defense Spending (9:05 a.m.)
NATO leaders will agree to strengthen the alliance’s goal for defense spending, as countries prioritize revitalizing an industry that has been neglected for years.
“We will agree 2% should be a floor, not a ceiling,” Sullivan told reporters in Vilnius Tuesday, adding that the US and allies will agree to spend more.
–With assistance from Kitty Donaldson, Niclas Rolander, Milda Seputyte, Jennifer Jacobs, Daniel Flatley, Arne Delfs, Daryna Krasnolutska and Andra Timu.
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