NATO leaders set to take key decisions to transform the Alliance

"Leaders will also make a historic decision to invite Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO," said Stoltenberg, adding that this was made possible by the trilateral agreement reached on Tuesday between Türkiye, Finland, and Sweden. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sparked a fundamental shift in NATO’s approach to defence, the NATO chief said.

New Delhi: Arriving at the start of the NATO Summit in Madrid on Wednesday, 29 June, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg outlined the key decisions that will be taken to transform the Alliance and protect its citizens. This will include a new strategic concept – "a blueprint for how to take NATO into the future in a more competitive and dangerous world" – a fundamental shift in NATO’s deterrence and defence, as well as strong support for Ukraine over the longer term, and even closer cooperation with partners.

"Leaders will also make a historic decision to invite Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO," said Stoltenberg, adding that this was made possible by the trilateral agreement reached on Tuesday between Türkiye, Finland, and Sweden. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sparked a fundamental shift in NATO’s approach to defence, the NATO chief said.

NATO leaders meeting in Madrid today are set to label Russia a menace to their security as they overhaul the alliance’s defences in response to the war on Ukraine, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said. “We will state clearly that Russia poses a direct threat to our security,” Stoltenberg added.

He said the meeting in Madrid was set to be “historic and transformative” for the seven-decade-old alliance as it grapples with the fallout from Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Alongside welcoming new members, NATO allies will also agree at the summit to increase the strength of their rapid reaction force by nearly eightfold, from 40,000 to 300,000 troops.

Thanking the Government of Spain and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for hosting this Summit in Madrid, the NATO chief said 'it will be a historic and transformative Summit for our Alliance'. "We meet amid the most serious security crisis we have faced since the Second World War and we see that Allies can demonstrate unity", Stoltenberg said, adding that "we see an Alliance which is responding in a strong and unified way to all the threats and the challenges we face".