LIVE UPDATES: NATO Approves New Strategic Concept Until 2030

US President Joe Biden met with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to discuss the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO and ways to export grain from Ukraine, the White House said on Wednesday.

"President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met today with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the margins of the NATO Summit. President Biden welcomed Turkey’s conclusion of a trilateral agreement with Finland and Sweden that paved the way for Allies to invite them to join NATO. The leaders discussed … the importance of removing Russian obstacles to the export of Ukrainian grain," the White House said in a press release.

The two also talked about maintaining stability in the Aegean and Syria, the release said.

On Tuesday, Turkey, Sweden and Finland signed a security memorandum, with the former withdrawing its objections to the two nations' entry into the alliance

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that NATO's further expansion will not bring greater security to Europe. At the same time, he said he does not consider the accession of Sweden and Finland into the organization an existential threat to Russia.

Canada will deploy additional troops and increase the operational military capabilities of NATO’s Operation Reassurance in the Baltic region to form a new combat-ready brigade stationed in Latvia, Defense Minister Anita Anand said on Wednesday.

“Canada will work with Latvia and with NATO allies to generate and stage forces in order to surge to a combat capable brigade," Anand said during a press briefing.

Canada will also establish and lead the elements of a forward brigade command and control and will be ready to provide "critical capabilities" to operations such as ammunition and explosives, air defenses systems and anti-tank weapon systems, she said.

The deployment will include additional personnel, infrastructure and military capabilities, Anand added.

The announcement comes as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly and Anand are in Madrid, Spain, participating in the annual NATO Summit.

Canada currently has deployed some 1,400 troops in the Baltics in support of NATO’s Operation Reassurance that aims to protecting the alliance's eastern flank from an eventual Russian invasion. Operation Reassurance is Canada’s largest military deployment outside of its own borders.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday agreed to coordinate with the United Nations steps to ensure safety of Odesa port and maritime traffic for grain exports, according to the Elysee Palace.

Macron and Erdogan held a meeting on Wednesday at the NATO summit in Madrid to discuss Finland and Sweden's possible accession to NATO, the alliance's strengthening in the eastern flank and adoption of a new strategic concept, as well as grain exports from Ukraine.

"Both leaders said that they are set to continue coordination with the UN to achieve conditions intended for ensuring safety of Odesa port and convoys of vessels," the Elysee Palace said in a statement.

The presidents also confirmed their support to the so-called EU's solidarity lanes, which ensure grain export by truck, railway and river transport, according to the statement.

Macron also welcomed Finland and Sweden's agreement with Turkey on their NATO bids, saying that Helsinki and Stockholm will make "a significant contribution" to the alliance security.

The NATO Summit will continue through Thursday.

On Tuesday, Turkey, Sweden and Finland signed a memorandum, which underlines the commitment of all sides to provide full support in combating threats to each other’s security. At the same time, Turkey withdrew its objections to Finland and Sweden joining NATO. NATO countries will officially invite Finland and Sweden to become members of the alliance at the summit in Madrid.

Moscow has repeatedly stated that NATO is an alliance aimed at confrontation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in early April that further expansion of the alliance eastward is aggressive in nature and will not make Europe more secure. At the same time, he noted that the Kremlin did not consider the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO an existential threat to Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto that Finland's accession to NATO could have a negative impact on relations between the two countries, which were built in the spirit of good neighborliness and partnership and were of mutual benefit.

"I mean, we added - over the last several months, as I said, we went from around 80,000 to 100,000 troops in Europe, most of them, obviously, in a rotational, temporary basis, and there was no notification requirement," he said. "We were very public about those decisions as we made them, and we're being public about these decisions as we make them now."

NATO states on Wednesday decided on new measures to increase political and practical support to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, and Moldova.

"In light of the changed security environment in Europe, we have decided on new measures to step up tailored political and practical support to partners, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, and the Republic of Moldova. We will work with them to build their integrity and resilience, develop capabilities, and uphold their political independence," a declaration adopted as a result of the alliance's summit in Madrid read.

NATO is on track toward a new cold war as security circumstances progressively resemble those before 1990, chairman of the German Armed Forces Association (DBwV) Andre Wustner said on Wednesday.

"What we are experiencing is a paradigm shift. A return to the old responsibility for space, comparable to the situation before 1990. That is, individual alliance partners that will be allocated places on the eastern flank. And increased operational readiness. In fact, we are on the way to the Cold War 2.0," Wustner told German broadcaster ZDF.

The DBwV chief finds it premature to reinstate conscription in Germany but believes that it should already be discussed.

"If we fail to make the Bundeswehr [the German armed forces] so attractive during this legislative period that we recruit enough personnel, then we will certainly have to talk about conscription again," he said.

Earlier in the day, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces Eva Hogl said that the sudden increase in rapid deployment forces announced by NATO would place a heavy burden on the Bundeswehr and require greater effort in terms of personnel, materials, equipment and infrastructure.

NATO leaders on Wednesday approved a new strategic concept that would guide the alliance's work until 2030.

"We have endorsed a new Strategic Concept. It describes the security environment facing the Alliance, reaffirms our values, and spells out NATO's key purpose and greatest responsibility of ensuring our collective defense based on a 360-degree approach," a summit declaration read.

The concept also sets out the alliance's three core tasks, including deterrence and defense, crisis prevention and management, and cooperative security, according to the declaration.

NATO states on Wednesday pledged to deploy additional in-place combat-ready forces on the alliance's eastern flank.

"Allies have committed to deploy additional robust in-place combat-ready forces on our eastern flank, to be scaled up from the existing battlegroups to brigade-size units where and when required, underpinned by credible rapidly available reinforcements, prepositioned equipment, and enhanced command and control," a declaration adopted as a result of the alliance's summit in Madrid read.

In addition, NATO leaders expressed their support for cooperation between framework states and host nations in strengthening forces and command, including in establishing division-level structures, according to the document.

"We will enhance our collective defense exercises to be prepared for high intensity and multi-domain operations and ensure reinforcement of any Ally on short notice. All these steps will substantially strengthen NATO's deterrence and forward defenses. This will help to prevent any aggression against NATO territory by denying any potential adversary success in meeting its objectives," the declaration added.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will urge NATO allies at the Madrid summit to invest more in boosting defense and deterrence capacity in Europe, his office said on Wednesday.

"The PM will urge NATO allies to invest more to modernise defence and restore deterrence in Europe, warning that the decade ahead is likely to be more dangerous and competitive than the last, at the Summit of NATO leaders beginning in Madrid today (Wednesday)," the statement read.

The UK itself will spend about 2.3% of GDP on defense this year, the largest spending among European countries, Johnson's office said. This will be due to the "unprecedented" surge of support for Ukraine as well as the UK commitment to reinforce NATO's contingent in Europe, which Johnson will also announce on Wednesday.

The NATO Summit will continue to Thursday.

NATO countries should focus on the Ukraine crisis and avoid all other sources of instability among one another, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday.

NATO leaders have gathered for a summit in Madrid from Tuesday to Thursday.

"NATO’s focus should be in the Ukrainian front, we do not need any other source of instability within the alliance and we believe that this is something that all of our allies understand," Mitsotakis said before the summit.

He did not specify the "other source of instability," but the alliance had until recently Turkey splinter over granting membership to Finland and Sweden. Turkey withdrew its objections in a trilateral deal reached on Tuesday.

Greece and Turkey also have a long history of bilateral tensions over a variety of causes, including conflicting territorial and maritime claims in the Mediterranean.

The current crisis in Europe is the consequence of NATO's US-led irresponsible behavior that created security concerns for Russia with its enlargement to the east, North Korean political scientist Kim Hyo Myong wrote in an article for the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"NATO is responsible for bringing a disaster to Eastern Europe," Kim said.

The North Korean researcher considers NATO to be a "perpetrator of the U.S. hegemonic strategy" and "a tool for local invasion."

"It does not need to go any further. The main culprit of current sorry plight of Europe is also none other than the U.S. for it sowed dissension, discord, confrontation and conflict there through its 'eastward advance' in systematic defiance of security concerns of Russia," Kim wrote.

The article focuses on NATO's new strategic concept, which members will adopt during the ongoing summit in Madrid. The North Korean researcher believes that the US seeks more presence in the Korean Peninsula and the Pacific, in general, and will use NATO to create "justification" for it.

South Korea and NATO will expand the exchange of information on security and defense industry after a South Korean mission is deployed at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, an official from the office of the South Korean President said on Wednesday.

"South Korea will establish a diplomatic mission to NATO in Brussels. The exchange of information between South Korea and NATO is expected to expand. NATO will expand access to information on military security cooperation, and South Korean firms will have an opportunity to participate in military procurement of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency. Mutual use of data exchange system will become possible," the official told journalists.

NATO's assistance will enable its partner countries, like South Korea, to have working level negotiations with EU and NATO countries on strengthening cyber and nuclear energy security cooperation, the official added.

President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol is on a five-day working visit to Madrid to attend a NATO summit from June 28-30. Prior to the visit, his office said that Yoon will also hold bilateral talks with leaders of about 10 countries at the summit.