NATO meeting comes at pivotal moment for alliance after failure in Afghanistan, internal discord and war in Ukraine
NATO leaders will urge Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to lift his veto over Finland and Sweden’s bid to join the military alliance when they meet for a three-day summit on Tuesday, as the West strives to send Russia and China a signal of resolve.Taking place in the shadow of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Madrid gathering comes at a pivotal moment for the transatlantic bond after failures in Afghanistan and internal discord during the era of former U.S.
The leaders of Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea are expected to attend part of the summit, part of a broader U.S. strategy for a more assertive Western presence in the Indo-Pacific region to counter China. Germany has already said it will put more troops at the ready to defend Lithuania should Russia seek to seize NATO territory and Britain is expected to do the same for Estonia, while Latvia is looking to Canada to pledge more troops there.NATO – created in 1949 to counter the Soviet threat – is under no treaty obligation to defend Ukraine, as the former Soviet republic is not a NATO member.
“I think it sends an important message to Putin. And I think it would actually significantly strengthen the alliance,” U.S. Senator Angus King said of Finland and Sweden, following a trip to Finland, Latvia and Turkey. Erdogan’s stance has proved popular at home before a June 2023 presidential election as he seeks to challenge U.S. and European priorities. In recent weeks, he has threatened more military operations in northern Syria, stoked tensions with fellow NATO member Greece and declined to join Western sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war.