He also warned Russia that it should “immediately” withdraw from Ukraine, condemning the conflict on “the toughest possible terms”. He added that Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor “seriously undermines international security and stability” and is a “gross violation of international law”. The 30-member leaders met in Madrid to discuss the war, support for Kyiv and how to fight Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a lengthy statement, they said: “Today, we have decided to invite Finland and Sweden to join NATO and have agreed to sign the accession protocols. “We welcome the conclusion of the tripartite memorandum between Turkey, Finland and Sweden for this purpose. “The accession of Finland and Sweden will make them safer, NATO stronger and the Euro-Atlantic area safer. “The security of Finland and Sweden is of paramount importance to the Alliance, even during the accession process.” Defining a plan for the threats and challenges, NATO vowed to “defend every inch” of its territory as it outlined a “deterrence and defense stance” based on a mix of “nuclear, conventional and missile defense capabilities.” Beyond Russia, the recently published Strategic Concept described China as a challenge to “our interests, our security and our values” – and said Beijing was “struggling to overthrow the rule-based international order, including space, cyberspace”. and the maritime sector “. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the idea represented “fundamental changes in our defense” and that it was “the first time since the Cold War” that such plans came into force. US strengthens military presence in Europe – live updates on Ukraine Among the announcements are the plans for: • Strengthen forward defense • Strengthen presence on the east side • Increase the number of high-strength forces to well over 300,000 • Strengthen the ability to strengthen any ally • Strengthen command and control Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the summit as “critical and groundbreaking” and said: “Today is truly the beginning of a new story. “In an age of (an) extremely aggressive Kremlin, the people need an extremely bold alliance,” he added. But Mr Zelenskyy warned: “Now you are adopting the strategy of the alliance – and this is first and foremost a strategy for the security of your societies, your states. Strategy for 10 years. “One hundred and twenty-six days of full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Cruise missiles, torture, children killed, women raped … We do not have 10 years. Do you have them? Are you really sure about that?” He continued: “While the democracies called on the Russian leadership to be rational and moral, Russia was accumulating power and missiles. You, the democratic leaders, urged it to respect international law, but the tyrants understand violence. Only violence.” Mr Zelensky said he was looking forward to a common victory, but said other countries could come under fire from Russia and that this would be “our common failure”. Speaking about Russian aggression, he continued: “He does not want to stop in Donbass or somewhere in southern Ukraine, he wants to absorb city after city, all of us and all of Europe, which the Russian leadership considers property, not independent states. This is the real goal of Russia. “The question is – who is next? Moldova? Or the Baltic countries? Or Poland? The answer is – all.”
