Sweden Clears Hurdle to Join NATO, Ukraine's Path Remains Unclear
Summary from AllSides News Team
The NATO summit in Lithuania wrapped up on Wednesday with two key takeaways– Turkey is most likely lifting its opposition to adding Sweden to the alliance, and Ukraine is on the path toward membership, but the path is unclear.
Ukraine: French President Emmanuel Macron said agreements at the summit “made it very clear that the path to NATO was there” for Ukraine. G7 leaders released a joint statement Wednesday to reaffirm an “unwavering commitment to the strategic objective of a free, independent, democratic, and sovereign Ukraine.” President Biden emphasized the unity of the NATO alliance in a speech at the summit, stating, “Putin still doubts our staying power. He still doesn’t understand that our commitment, our values, our freedom, is something that we can never, ever, ever walk away from. It’s who we are.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the summit a “meaningful success,” but expressed frustration that a clear membership path was not laid out.
Sweden: The other key topic of the summit was Sweden’s admission into NATO. All alliance members must approve new entries, and Turkey previously objected to Sweden’s application, claiming Sweden was harboring terrorists. After negotiations, the Turkish president shifted posture, stating he would work to advance the issue as “swiftly as possible” while emphasizing that Sweden still needed to win over the Turkish parliament.
How the Media Covered It: The summit was covered more frequently in left-rated outlets, with the issue of Ukraine’s path to join NATO the focus of most coverage.
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