Leaders of Western military powers have gathered in Vilnius, Lithuania, for NATO’s annual summit, with Russia’s war in Ukraine central to the discussions. On the eve of the summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he would drop his opposition to Sweden’s bid to join NATO, clearing the way for its accession as the alliance’s 32nd member. Following that announcement, the Biden administration said it would move ahead with the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, pending congressional approval. Earlier today, President Biden spoke briefly to reporters alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. 

President Joe Biden: “And this historic moment, the adding of Finland and Sweden to NATO, is consequential. And your leadership really matters.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to meet with President Biden at the summit on Wednesday. Ahead of the meeting, he accused NATO members of ignoring Ukraine’s bid to join the alliance, writing, “It’s unprecedented and absurd when time frame is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine’s membership. … It seems there is no readiness neither to invite Ukraine to NATO nor to make it a member of the Alliance.” We’ll have more on the NATO summit and Russia’s war in Ukraine after headlines.