French President, Emmanuel Macron held talks in Madrid with Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday (June 29), as the NATO summit convened for a second day in the Spanish capital, Reuters reports.
They met following Turkeys' decision to lift its veto over Finland and Sweden's bid to join the Western alliance on Tuesday (June 28) after the three nations agreed to protect each other's security, ending a weeks-long drama that tested allied unity against Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.
The breakthrough came after four hours of talks just before the NATO summit began in Madrid, averting an embarrassing impasse at the gathering of 30 leaders that aims to show resolve against Russia, now seen by the U.S.-led alliance as a direct security threat rather than a possible adversary.
It means Helsinki and Stockholm can proceed with their application to join the nuclear-armed alliance, cementing what is set to be the biggest shift in European security in decades, as the two, long-neutral Nordic countries seek NATO protection.
