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NATO SUMMIT UPDATES: France, Germany Announce New Military Aid for Ukraine

Sputnik International

Leaders of the world's largest military alliance will discuss a broad range of issues, while prioritizing the Ukrainian crisis and Sweden's entry bid to the US-led bloc.

2023-07-11T06:29+0000

2023-07-11T18:59+0000

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NATO SUMMIT UPDATES: France, Germany Announce New Military Aid for Ukraine

06:29 GMT 11.07.2023 (Updated: 18:59 GMT 11.07.2023)

Leaders of North Atlantic Treaty Organization have gathered in Vilnius to discuss most pressing issues while prioritizing the Ukrainian crisis and Sweden's entry bid.

Leaders of member states belonging to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are gathering for a two-day summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. According to expectations, top-tier politicians will discuss a wide range of topics, with an emphasis on military aid to the Kiev regime and Sweden's accession to the bloc. Ukrainian membership aspirations will also be discussed by political experts, yet no solid decisions are anticipated, because Western politicians are unlikely to give Kiev any guarantees until the end of the hostilities. Surprisingly, media reports indicate that the US is among the main opponents of Ukraine's quick accession.

Ukraine applied for fast-track NATO membership in September 2022 following the start of the Russian military operation in February of that year. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has on numerous occasions said that the bloc was supportive of Kiev's aspirations but was not ready to approve its bid to join right away, chiefly due to Ukraine's active involvement in the current armed conflict.

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18:42 GMT 11.07.2023

18:18 GMT 11.07.2023

Turkish Politicians Oppose Ankara's Decision to Ratify Sweden's NATO Bid

Leader of the Turkish opposition Republican People's Party and former presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu as well as the chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party, Devlet Bahceli, said on Tuesday that they opposed Ankara's decision to ratify Sweden's NATO bid.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to transmit the accession protocol for Sweden to parliament and work closely with lawmakers to ensure ratification. Stoltenberg, however, gave no further details as to the timeline of the process.

"Turkiye is a NATO member state, and the decision must be made unanimously. They said they did not accept Sweden as a member of NATO because this country was protecting terrorists and accommodating them on its territory. They used expressions like 'It [Sweden] would never be acceded to NATO.' Sweden did not budge. They burned our holy book — the authorities did not show enough response. And then what happened? [US President Joe] Biden called Erdogan, and he flipped around," Kilicdaroglu was quoted as saying by a Turkish broadcaster.

Kilicdaroglu, during his own presidential campaign, promised to arrange visa-free access to the European Union for Turkish citizens and to ratify Sweden's NATO bid.

Bahceli, in turn, said that Turkiye's complaints against Sweden were "valid" and "legitimate."

18:00 GMT 11.07.2023

17:20 GMT 11.07.2023

16:11 GMT 11.07.2023

A man walks in front of a tower of the Kremlin and the Russian Foreign Ministry building in central Moscow on September 10, 2020. - Sputnik International, 1920, 11.07.2023

World

Moscow: NATO Already in Confrontation With Russia

11 July 2023, 16:08 GMT

16:06 GMT 11.07.2023

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during news conference in Brussel, Belgium. - Sputnik International, 1920, 11.07.2023

World

Stoltenberg: No Point in Discussing Ukraine’s NATO Membership if Kiev Loses the Conflict

11 July 2023, 15:52 GMT

15:28 GMT 11.07.2023

Blinken Claims Up to Ukraine to Decide When to End Conflict

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that it was ultimately up to Ukraine to decide when to end the conflict with Russia, but the NATO summit would produce a long-term commitment to support Kiev.

"Ultimately the Ukrainians have to decide when to bring this to a close because it's their country. It's their land, it's their future. These are their decisions, but we're committed ... to supporting them for as long as it takes," Blinken said in an interview.

The secretary of state also said that the current NATO summit would produce a "deep commitment" to the ongoing support for Ukraine for years to come.

15:12 GMT 11.07.2023

Ukraine to Be Invited to NATO Only by Unanimous Decision and if All Conditions Met – Stoltenberg

15:09 GMT 11.07.2023

NATO Leaders Agree on a Package of ‘3 Elements’ to Bring Ukraine ‘Closer’ to Bloc – Stoltenberg

15:02 GMT 11.07.2023

NATO Countries Agree on Wording in Declaration on Ukraine’s Path to Membership – Reports

NATO countries have agreed on wording in the declaration on Ukraine’s path to the membership in the alliance, British news agency reported on Tuesday, citing sources.

According to media, Ukraine will be invited to join NATO when all allies agree on it and when Kiev meets all the conditions.

15:00 GMT 11.07.2023

Sweden Expects Its NATO Membership Bid Ratified in 'Days or Weeks'

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said Tuesday that Turkish and Hungarian parliaments could ratify his country's bid for NATO membership in coming days or weeks.

"Turkiye’s and Hungary’s parliaments can ratify within days or weeks," Billstrom told US media on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The top Swedish diplomat said there was "a clear agreement that this will be done as soon as possible," which he clarified meant any time before fall.

14:04 GMT 11.07.2023

Poland Could Take Part in Potential NATO Peacekeeping Mission in Ukraine

Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Tuesday that after the end of the conflict in Ukraine, NATO could deploy a peacekeeping mission there, in which the Polish military could also take part.

The details of such mission would depend on the agreements achieved during the potential peace talks if Kiev decides to hold them, Duda told reporters ahead of the NATO summit in Vilnius.

If the alliance makes a collective decision to send troops to Ukraine to ensure the ceasefire compliance, Poland would certainly support this decision as a responsible member state, he said.

13:45 GMT 11.07.2023

German Defense Chief Says Ukraine's Path to NATO Can Be 'Faster Than for Others'

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Tuesday that Ukraine’s path to NATO membership might be shorter than that of other aspiring member states.

"At least from my point of view, I am convinced this track for Ukraine might be faster than for others but still there is a track. The future of Ukraine is in NATO. There is no doubt about that," he said at a NATO public forum in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Pistorius said there existed preconditions for formally inviting Ukraine to join the military alliance, but he did not say what they were. He also insisted that an invitation to Ukraine would not change facts on the ground for Kiev.

Ukraine applied for accelerated NATO membership in September 2022.

German daily reported Monday that Berlin and Washington were blocking Ukraine’s accelerated accession. NATO leaders are reportedly going promise once again that Ukraine would become a NATO member one day, without giving it a clear timeline.

13:35 GMT 11.07.2023

‘Gone too Far’: Europe’s Foreign Policymakers Infuriated by Zelensky

Diplomats are shocked with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who in a recent statement lashed out at the alliance for balking at a timeframe for Ukraine’s NATO accession, calling the move ‘absurd’, a US political news outlet revealed.

Zelensky also believes that the absence of a deadline indicates that NATO is actually not ready to accept Ukraine. According to the media, his comments surprised many diplomats from the Central Europe, who said that the Ukrainian president had “gone too far.”

12:07 GMT 11.07.2023

NATO Membership Not in Ukraine’s Immediate Future – White House

Ukraine is unlikely to join NATO in the near future and will need to implement several key reforms before it can join the alliance, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday.

"NATO membership in the immediate future is not likely, because that would put NATO at war with Russia," Kirby told US media, when asked whether the allies meeting in Vilnius would outline a pathway for Ukrainian membership.

"What the allies will do over the next couple of days is talk about a path to get Ukraine there eventually, and what that pathway needs to look like ... Eventually they'll get there, but there's a lot of things that still need to be done before we reach that point."

Kirby added that Ukraine still needs to work on key reforms including good governance, rule of law and political adjustments in order to meet the requirements of NATO membership, but said allies understand that these would be difficult to achieve in the near term due to the ongoing conflict.

11:56 GMT 11.07.2023

Belgium Plans to Reach 2% Defense Spending by 2035

Belgium plans to reach defense spending at 2% level by 2035, fully supporting the corresponding NATO initiative, Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said before the beginning of the NATO summit in Vilnius.

"We have been very clear about our 2% by 2035. With regard to the current initiative of a minimum of 2%, we fully support that," De Croo said.

11:42 GMT 11.07.2023

Two men do construction work around the flags at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, July 6, 2023. - Sputnik International, 1920, 11.07.2023

World

NATO Summit Final Statement Draft Not Mentioning Steps for Ukraine's Accession - Reports

11 July 2023, 11:42 GMT

10:44 GMT 11.07.2023

Patriot weapons system (File) - Sputnik International, 1920, 11.07.2023

Russia's Special Operation in Ukraine

Germany to Provide Kiev With $770Mln Aid Package, Including Patriot Systems

11 July 2023, 10:43 GMT

09:22 GMT 11.07.2023

France to Transfer Long-Range Missiles to Kiev - Macron

France has decided to transfer long-range missiles to Kiev to support the offensive of the Ukrainian armed forces, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday.

08:15 GMT 11.07.2023

Stoltenberg Proposes to Cancel Membership Action Plan for Ukraine to Speed Up Accession

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg proposed on Tuesday to cancel the membership action plan for Ukraine, which will allow to shorten Kiev's accession process.