Ukraine must move closer to NATO in practical terms: Stoltenberg

NATO members agree that Ukraine should move closer to the alliance in practical terms and plan to set up a joint council, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday (June 16), Reuters reports.

Stoltenberg was speaking after a meeting of defence ministers in Brussels at which they discussed a summit of leaders in Vilnius in July, which they hope will be attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

The military alliance is currently debating what security guarantees it can offer to Ukraine, a country which wants to join NATO but is currently at war with Russia.

Stoltenberg also said he expected the allies would make a commitment to spend more on defence, turning a current 2% of GDP target into a floor rather than a ceiling. Many allies do not meet the current target.

He also said that the alliance was moving closer to agreeing its first defence plans since the Cold War. Sources told Reuters that the NATO meeting failed to approve the plans.