NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed on Friday that the alliance's member countries agree that Ukraine is getting closer to NATO, stating, "Our door is open and they will be a member at the right time." Following a meeting of NATO defense ministers, Stoltenberg noted that NATO is working towards establishing a joint council with Ukraine. He expects NATO allies to make more ambitious commitments regarding military spending during the next summit.
He said, "Russia has modernized its nuclear capabilities, and we have not seen any reason to change our plan towards that," revealing that "allied countries have agreed to increase the financial support for the production of ammunition." He added that NATO is nearing approval of its first defense plans since the Cold War, emphasizing the failure to reach an agreement regarding these defense plans.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin believed that defense spending for the alliance should be increased, asserting that "NATO will not get dragged into Putin's war that he chose, but we will support deterrent means." He mentioned that "the door is open for dialogue with China regarding military relations."
Austin also stated he urged Turkey to allow Sweden's accession to NATO during an introductory meeting held on Friday with his new Turkish counterpart, Yasar Güler, on the sidelines of the NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels. Austin added in a press conference held at NATO headquarters, "My purpose in meeting today was to have an introductory meeting to congratulate him on taking office as Minister of Defense. Of course, I seized every available opportunity to urge him to move forward and allow Sweden to join."
Turkish Objection
A senior U.S. official mentioned that "while the regional plans have not been formally approved, we expect those plans to be part of a series of achievable goals at the upcoming Vilnius summit scheduled for July." An ambassador in NATO informed Reuters that Turkey objected to the wording due to phrasing related to Cyprus's geographical location. The diplomat added that there remains an opportunity to reach a solution before the NATO summit in Vilnius in mid-July.
