The meeting had been planned for a long time, but the stakes had changed since the war in Ukraine. More than 40 Heads of State and Government are meeting in Madrid (Spain) to discuss the future of NATO. And the day of this Wednesday, June 29 will be largely devoted to the Russian invasion. On this occasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is invited to speak twice by videoconference. Follow our live.
Ukraine at the heart of the summit. NATO countries, which have already provided billions of dollars in aid to Kyiv, will suit Madrid “a comprehensive program of assistance to Ukraine to help it enforce its right to self-defence, promised Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of the Atlantic Alliance. It is extremely important that we are ready to continue to provide our support because Ukraine today faces brutality that we have not seen in Europe since World War II.”.
In Kremenchouk, residents are still in shock. The Russian strike that fell on a shopping center on Monday left about twenty dead and dozens injured and missing. President Volodymyr Zelensky suggests to the UN Security Council to send “a commission of inquiry”.
Turkey finally says yes. Obstacle since mid-May to the entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ended up lifting his veto on Tuesday. “I am delighted to announce that we have an agreement which paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO” and who answers “to Turkey’s concerns about arms exports and the fight against terrorism”, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters. The members of NATO will therefore be able “invite” officially on Wednesday the two Nordic countries to join the Alliance.