NATO leaders gathered in Madrid for a summit this week notched an early win Tuesday night, reaching an agreement that paves the way for a key expansion.
Turkey had been holding up the NATO bids of Finland and Sweden, which both applied to join the military alliance after Russia invaded Ukraine. But on Tuesday night, the three countries signed an agreement that assuaged Turkey’s concerns over the countries’ alleged support for Kurdish groups and arms embargoes.
With that out of the way, NATO leaders will now turn toward fleshing out the details of a historic reshaping of their eastern flank defenses — a move meant to keep Russia’s war from expanding onto the alliance’s turf.
NATO will also endorse a new “Strategic Concept,” a long-term vision that will elaborate the alliance’s stance toward both Russia and China.
