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Added on the 15/06/2023 16:45:27 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
NATO defence ministers meet for the second day of the meeting. Arms aid to Ukraine is still at the heart of the meetings, in particular air defence systems. IMAGES
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says that the US-led defence alliance's European members are making "real progress" on their defence spending, with 2024 set to be the first year their spending amounts to "two percent of their combined GDP". Stoltenberg's comments come after Donald Trump rattled the alliance by saying he would "encourage" Russia to attack members who were not meeting the two percent obligation. SOUNDBITE
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says Turkey should approve Sweden's stalled bid for membership "as soon as possible". "Sweden has delivered on what they promised and now the time has come for Turkiye to finalise the accession process," Stoltenberg tells a press conference in Brussels. Turkey and Hungary are the only NATO members to not yet have ratified Sweden joining the alliance over 18 months after it applied for membership. SOUNDBITE
The United States welcomes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's submission to parliament of Sweden's NATO membership and hopes for approval as soon as possible. "We welcome that step," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller tells reporters, voicing hope that the bill "will be considered in the Turkish parliament and passed as soon as possible." SOUNDBITE
NATO leaders agreed at a summit in Vilnius on Tuesday that they will invite Ukraine to become a member when certain conditions are reached, alliance head Jens Stoltenberg says. "We also made clear that we will issue an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO when allies agree and conditions are met," Stoltenberg tells journalists after the talks. SOUNDBITE
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