“The incorporation of Finland and Sweden, before or after, will be made possible,” Sánchez told the AP. “We would like it to be in the Madrid summit, I don’t deny it but, evidently, if it’s not the case, the talks will continue.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the NATO summit in Madrid this week aims to showcase the Western allies’ united front in defense of democratic values in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while increasing the bloc’s deterrence capabilities.
In an interview with The Associated Press a day before the summit begins Tuesday, he reiterated that the alliance would not tolerate any territorial aggression against its members.
“We have to transmit a message of deterrence, that we are ready to defend every centimeter of allied territory,” Sánchez said.
Russian President Vladimir “Putin is not just invading Ukraine. What he wants is to destabilize, weaken the security, the prosperity of Europe.”
Speaking at the palace that hosts the prime minister’s office and residence in Madrid, Sánchez said the chief aim of the NATO summit was to send “a message of unity in line with democracy, security, international order, based on rules that, unfortunately, Putin and the Russian Federation have blown to smithereens with the invasion of Ukraine.”
© Copyright LaPresse