NATO summit LIVE: Stoltenberg welcomes Sweden as full member, but delays Ukraine's bid

Ukraine has become increasingly interoperable and politically integrated with the Alliance, and has made substantial progress on its reform path. In line with the 1997 Charter on a Distinctive Partnership between NATO and Ukraine and the 2009 Complement, allies will continue to support and review Ukraine’s progress on interoperability as well as additional democratic and security sector reforms that are required.

NATO Foreign Ministers will regularly assess progress through the adapted Annual National Programme. The Alliance will support Ukraine in making these reforms on its path towards future membership. We will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance when allies agree and conditions are met.”

"This is a strong package for Ukraine and a clear path towards its membership in Nato," he says.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg started his address saying that he is looking forward to welcoming Sweden as a full member of the alliance.

Stoltenberg also announced a new multi-year assistance programme to help Ukraine transition from Soviet-era to Nato standard training standards.

He said that a new Nato-Ukraine council will be formed, where they will "meet as equals". The inaugural meeting will be tomorrow with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said that, after concluding the summit, that they want Ukraine to join when allies agree and conditions are fulfilled

BBC has reported that Turkey is ready to support Sweden's bid to join NATO, paving the way for the Nordic country to become the 32nd member of the military alliance.

Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson told the BBC that they have convinced Turkey that they are committed to fighting terrorism in cooperation with the country for the long term.

When asked what made Turkey change its mind, he said "the whole package."

North Korea has condemned the US for its decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, calling it a “criminal act” and demanded an immediate withdrawal of the plan, Reuters reports.

North Korean foreign minister Choe Son Hui said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency: “I, on behalf of the DPRK government, vehemently denounce the US decision to offer WMD (weapons of mass destruction) to Ukraine as a dangerous criminal act to bring a new calamity to the world, and strongly demand the US withdraw the decision immediately.”

“The US has made a very dangerous choice … which brings to light once again its true colours as destroyer of peace regarding aggression and massacre as its national policy and mode of existence,” Choe added

France has started sending significant number of SCALP cruise missiles to Ukraine, which will be integrated into non-western warplanes, a French military source told Reuters news agency on Tuesday.

This comes after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would start supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine at the NATO summit in Lithuania on Tuesday.

The missiles have a range of 155 miles (250km) – the longest of any western weapon supplied to Ukraine so far.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday hit out at the NATO leaders saying that there was no 'readiness' among the alliance to "neither invite Kyiv to NATO nor to make it a member of the Alliance".

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it would be “absurd” if Ukraine doesn't become a NATO member and added that uncertainty over its membership was motivation for Russia to “continue its terror”.

“We value our allies. We value our shared security. And we always appreciate an open conversation. Ukraine will be represented at the Nato summit in Vilnius. Because it is about respect," Zelenskiy tweeted.

“But Ukraine also deserves respect. Now, on the way to Vilnius, we received signals that certain wording is being discussed without Ukraine.

“And I would like to emphasise that this wording is about the invitation to become Nato member, not about Ukraine’s membership.

“It’s unprecedented and absurd when time frame is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine’s membership. While at the same time vague wording about “conditions” is added even for inviting Ukraine.

“It seems there is no readiness neither to invite Ukraine to Nato nor to make it a member of the Alliance.

Germany has pleged to provide more military aid for Ukraine that includes 40 extra Marder armored personnel carriers, another 25 old Leopard 1 tanks and two Patriot defense missile launching devices, ABC News reported,

Germany would give Ukraine 20,000 rounds of artillery ammunition, 5,000 rounds of smoke ammunition, a reconnaissance and drone-defense package and a Luna drone system, the German Defence Ministry said on Tuesday

There will also be five armored recovery vehicles.

Germany is one of the biggest providers of military aid to Ukraine, puttinh the value of the latest package at nearly 700 million euros ($768 million).

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Tuesday that his government's ratification of Sweden's NATO bid was not only a technical question. "The completion of the ratification process is now only a technical question," Szijjarto said in a statement on Facebook. 

The foreign minister's remark comes after Turkey agreed to allow Sweden to join NATO. Last Friday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that his government supported Sweden's bid. 

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday that the intergovernmental military alliance should remove war-torn Ukraine's membership plan requirement. 

"Ukraine has come a long way since we made that decision in 2008 that the next step would be a Membership Action Plan. Ukraine is much closer to NATO, so I think the time has come to reflect that also in NATO decisions," Secretary-General Stoltenberg said. 

The White House confirmed Tuesday that a meeting between Zelensky and Joe Biden will take place on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Lithuania. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says a path has been laid out for Ukraine to eventually admit into NATO, but he fell short of giving a timetable. Sullivan ruled out any immediate entry for Ukraine, given its ongoing war against Russian invasion, saying this would "bring NATO into a war with Russia", reported AFP.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has proposed a set of measures that involve eliminating the need for a Membership Action Plan (MAP). The MAP is a list of political, economic, and military objectives that Eastern European countries had to fulfill before becoming NATO members.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who is anticipated to be present at the summit, seeks a definitive invitation to join NATO once Russia's conflict with Ukraine concludes. Additionally, he desires security assurances until that point to safeguard Ukraine's well-being.

On Monday, President Joe Biden of the United States expressed his satisfaction with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's assurance to present the accession protocol for Sweden to Turkey's Grand National Assembly for prompt approval. Biden also conveyed his willingness to collaborate with Erdogan and Turkey in strengthening defence capabilities and deterrence measures.

"I welcome the statement issued by Turkiye, Sweden and the NATO Secretary General this evening, including the commitment by President Erdogan to transmit the Accession Protocol for Sweden to Turkiye's Grand National Assembly for swift ratification," Biden said.

Russia attacked Kyiv Tuesday morning with drones hours before a key meeting of NATO countries is scheduled to begin in Lithuania. "The enemy attacked Kyiv from the air for the second time this month, Serhiy Popko, a head of Kyiv's military administration, said in a post on the Telegram channel. Ukraine claimed that all Iranian-made Shahed drones were shot down before they could reach targets.

President Joe Biden is scheduled to have a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the NATO summit on Wednesday. This meeting is significant as it demonstrates a sense of solidarity, considering that Zelensky's attendance at the summit had been uncertain. The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine ranks high on the agenda for NATO leaders, who will also discuss the prospects of Ukraine joining the alliance. This topic has led to differing opinions among the leaders, causing some division.