NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg concluded an informal meeting of Foreign Ministers in Oslo, Norway, on Thursday, calling it an “opportunity to discuss key issues as we prepare for our summit in Vilnius (Lithuania) in July,” according to a NATO statement.

“Our focus today was on how we can bring Ukraine closer to NATO, where it belongs,” he told reporters after the meeting, noting that the 31-member Alliance is working on a multi-year package of support with robust funding.

At the Summit, “we will take decisions to further strengthen our deterrence and defence. Agree a new Defence Investment Pledge, with 2% of GDP on defence as the minimum. And deepen our partnerships with our partners in the Indo-Pacific region,” said the NATO chief.

On Ukraine?’s membership, Stoltenberg reiterated that NATO’s door remains open, and that decisions on membership are only for Allies and Ukraine to make.

“We don?’t know when the war ends,” he said, “but we must ensure that, when it does, we have credible arrangements in place to guarantee Ukraine?’s security in the future.” Further, Stoltenberg said he is working hard to ensure that Sweden?’s accession to NATO is completed as soon as possible, and that he will travel to Turkiye in the near future.

Source: Kuwait News Agency