NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a news conference that the war in Ukraine has strengthened the military alliance.
1.6. 17:30 • Updated June 1.6. 18:56
Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg met today with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken In Washington.
On the agenda were arms aid to Ukraine and the enlargement of the military alliance NATO.
According to Blinken, Finland and Sweden want to join NATO to further strengthen the military alliance.
– [Vladimir] Putin hoped to disband NATO, but he only strengthened the military alliance.
Blinken has previously assured that the NATO process for Finland and Sweden would move forward rapidly.
President Sauli Niinistö and the Prime Minister of Sweden Magdalena Andersson met with the president Joe Biden in May.
However, Turkey opposes Sweden’s and Finland’s membership of NATO because it says Finland and Sweden support terrorist organizations such as the PKK in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
Last week, the Finnish and Swedish delegations negotiated in Ankara without success.
Stoltenberg said at the press conference that he intends to speak with representatives of Finland, Sweden and Turkey in the coming days.
– We understand the concerns of NATO Turkey and take them seriously. We know that no other NATO country has suffered as much from terrorist attacks as Turkey, Stoltenberg said.
Stoltenberg also said that NATO has been in close contact with the leaders of Turkey, Sweden and Finland.
Stoltenberg told reporters he was hopeful that a solution to how Sweden and Finland could be admitted to NATO could be found before the NATO summit.
The NATO summit will be held in Madrid at the end of June.
Foreign Minister Blinken said he was positive. According to him, the concerns expressed by Turkey are an integral part of the NATO process. However, Blinken believes that Finland and Sweden will find a common tone.
Blinken: Biden made it clear to Putin the U.S.’s intentions
At the press conference, Blinken spoke more about arms assistance to Ukraine.
The United States is planning a new arms aid package to Ukraine of nearly 700 million euros.
According to Foreign Minister Blinken, President Biden has made it clear to the Russian president that the United States will support Ukraine armedly if hostilities in Ukraine continue. Russia, for its part, has continued to attack.
Biden said today that the United States will send rocket launchers and ammunition to Ukraine so that the Ukrainians can strike their own ground more closely at the “key targets” of Russian troops.
According to Blinken, Ukraine has promised not to use the long-range weapons donated to it to strike Russian soil.
NATO newsletter (you switch to another service) According to Stoltenberg, a U.S. security adviser will also be discussing this week Jake Sullivan with both the Minister of Defense Lloyd Austinin with.
1.6 at 18.54 Corrected. Stoltenberg talks to country representatives, not leaders.