NATO leaders meeting on the second day of the summit

The leaders of the NATO member countries met on the second day of the summit held in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.

In addition to the leaders of the 31 member countries, Sweden is also attending the meeting as an invited country for NATO membership. In addition, NATO’s Indo-Pacific partners Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, and the European Union (EU) are also represented at the meeting.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO is a regional alliance in Europe and the Atlantic, but the challenges it faces are global. Stoltenberg asserted that events in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions are important to each other, that the war in Ukraine has global repercussions, that terrorism and cyber threats know no borders, and that authoritarian regimes are getting closer.

“We must come together for a rules-based global order,” Stoltenberg said, noting that partner participation in today’s NATO Summit is important.

INTERVIEW TOUR FROM ZELENSKY

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will meet leaders today after NATO leaders rejected calls to set a date for membership.

Zelensky will attend the session of the NATO Ukrainian Council today. The Council was established to improve relations between kyiv and the 31 NATO member states.

Zelenskiy, who wants more help with weapons and ammunition from the US and other NATO countries, will also meet US President Joe Biden. The United States, Britain, France and Germany are expected to announce a long-term program of support for Kiev, including advanced weapons, training and other military assistance, soon after the summit ends, officials said.

Zelenskiy, in his speech yesterday in Vilnius, expressed his disappointment that NATO has not yet given a date for its membership. (AGENCIES)