NATO formally invites Finland and Sweden to join alliance ...

Madrid (CNN) NATO formalized its invitation to Sweden and Finland to join its alliance Wednesday, a historic expansion of the defense bloc that directly undercuts Russian President Vladimir Putin's aims as his war in Ukraine grinds ahead.

The group collectively decided to approve countries' applications to join after Turkey dropped its objections Tuesday, paving the way for NATO's most consequential enlargement in decades.

"The accession of Finland and Sweden will make them safer, NATO stronger, and the Euro-Atlantic area more secure. The security of Finland and Sweden is of direct importance to the Alliance, including during the accession process," the statement said.

The decision will now go to the 30 member states' parliaments and legislatures for final ratification. NATO's leaders said they expected the process to move quickly, allowing for an unprecedentedly swift accession and a show of unity against Putin.

The leaders entered Wednesday's talks propelled by a diplomatic victory after Turkey dropped its objections to the two nations joining NATO, setting the stage for the two longtime neutral countries to enter the defensive bloc. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg called the formal invitation from the alliance to Sweden and Finland to join the defense bloc a "historic decision."

"The agreement concluded last night by Turkey, Finland and Sweden paved the way for this decision," the secretary general said in a news conference.

He recounted how two rounds of talks were held by senior officials in Brussels under his auspices in the advance of Monday's consequential meeting between Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Turkey agreed on Tuesday to drop its objections to their membership bids, removing a major hurdle to them joining NATO.

The expansion vote, paired with substantial new commitments bolstering NATO's force posture in Europe, combined to make this week's summit in Madrid one of the most productive in recent memory. The alliance endorsed a new "Strategic Concept" document that outlines the NATO's goals for the next decade. The document, last updated in 2010, lays out the security challenges facing the defensive alliance while outlining a course of actions.

For the first time, the document outlined the China "challenge," saying that the country's "ambitions and coercive policies challenge our interests, security and values." This was the first time the Strategic Concept document mentioned China; the 2010 version made no mention of Beijing. It also states that climate change is "a defining challenge of our time."

The document identifies Russia as the "most significant and direct threat to allies' security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area" and addresses NATO's support for an independent Ukraine. In the 2010 version of the document, Russia was referred to as a "Euro-Atlantic partner."

The outcome is exactly what Putin was hoping to fend off when he invaded Ukraine more than four months ago.

"I said Putin's looking for the Finlandization of Europe. He's going to get the NATOization of Europe. And that is exactly what he didn't want, but exactly what needs to be done to guarantee security for Europe. And I think it's necessary," US President Joe Biden said when he arrived at the summit site in Madrid.

Biden announces strengthening of NATO forces

Biden and fellow NATO leaders assembled in the Spanish capital to unveil a significant strengthening of forces along the alliance's eastern flank as Russia's war in Ukraine shows no signs of slowing.

Speaking alongside Stoltenberg, Biden listed new troop movements, equipment shipments and military installations meant to demonstrate the importance of security in the face of Moscow's aggression.

"The United States and our allies, we are going to step up -- we are stepping up. We're proving that NATO is more needed now than it ever has been and is as important as it ever has been," Biden said.

He said the US would establish a permanent headquarters for the Fifth Army Corps in Poland, maintain an extra rotational brigade of 3,000 troops in Romania, enhance rotational deployments to the Baltic states, send two more F-35 fighter jet squadrons to the United Kingdom and station additional air defense and other capabilities in Germany and Italy.

"Together with our allies, we are going to make sure that NATO is ready to meet threats from all directions -- across every domain, land, air and the sea," Biden said.

The United States did not convey to Russia its plans to bolster its force posture in Europe ahead of time.

"There has been no communication with Moscow about these changes nor is there a requirement to do that," John Kirby, the NSC coordinator for strategic communications, said after Biden announced the series of measures.

A second official told reporters the announcements did not violate any agreements between Russia and NATO, which stipulate parameters for positioning troops in Europe.

"The decision to permanently forward station the Five Corps headquarters forward command post does not, you know, is consistent with that commitment and our understanding of the NATO Russia founding act," said Celeste Wallander, United States assistant secretary of defense for international affairs.

Zelensky asks what Ukraine has to do to join NATO

Yet even if Putin's aims have backfired and the conflict grinds on, momentum is favoring Russia at the moment. That has left Biden and fellow western leaders this week searching for ways to alter the trajectory of the war.

Despite enthusiasm at the summit for NATO's two newest members, another leader -- Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky -- voiced frustration that his country's NATO ambitions have been ignored, despite coming under siege by Russia.

Addressing the NATO summit in Madrid virtually, Zelensky asked rhetorically, "Has Ukraine not paid enough" to join the alliance and review its open door policy.

"Is our contribution to the defense of both Europe and the whole civilization still insufficient?" he asked. "What else is needed then?"

Ukraine has sought unsuccessfully to join NATO for years, hampered by concerns over provoking Russia and other issues related to its governance practices.

Speaking after Zelensky's address, Stoltenberg said the alliance welcomed the speech.

"Ukraine can count on us for as long as it takes," Stoltenberg stressed to journalists. He commended Zelensky's "leadership and courage" and called the Ukrainian leader "an inspiration to us all."

Alliance turns the pressure up on Russia but wary of effects back home

Already this week, the US and European nations have slapped new rounds of sanctions on Moscow, banned new imports of its gold and agreed to limit the price of its oil. New rounds of security assistance, including a US-provided missile defense system, have been added to the queue of artillery and ammunition flowing in Ukraine.

Whether any of that is enough to fundamentally alter the way the war is going remains to be seen. Zelensky told leaders attending the G7 summit in Germany he wanted their help staging a major initiative to win the war by the end of the year. In an interview with CNN's Jim Sciutto on "Newsroom" Wednesday, Kirby pushed back on the idea that the US would lean on Zelensky to give up territory to Russia in order to end the war.

"This victory has got to be decided by President Zelensky, and he gets to decide what that looks like for his country. Our job is to make sure he can continue to defend himself," Kirby said.

Leaders worry the growing cost of the war, seen in rising gas and food prices, could lead to diminished support for Ukraine in the months ahead. A few have warned that fatigue is setting in, adding to the growing concerns that the alliance could fracture.

"When we agreed we were going to respond, we acknowledged there was going to be some costs to our people, our imposition of sanctions on Russia. But our people have stood together. They've stood up and they've stood strong," Biden said Tuesday when he was meeting with King Felipe VI at the Royal Palace in Madrid.

It was during that meeting Biden received word Turkey was dropping its objections to Finland and Sweden's applications to join NATO, ending a months-long standoff with NATO's most challenging member.

In order to get the deal struck before the summit, Biden dangled the prospect of a formal bilateral meeting with Erdoğan in a phone call on Tuesday morning. The leaders met Wednesday to discuss the myriad issues that have caused the relationship between Washington and Ankara to sour over the past several years.

"I want to particularly thank you for what you did, putting together the situation with regard to Finland and Sweden, and all the incredible work you're going to try to get the grain ... out of Ukraine," Biden told Erdogan.

Biden also met jointly with Japan's Prime Minister and South Korea's President to focus on the threat from North Korea. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President Yoon Suk Yeol are invited guests of the NATO summit, but their countries' ties have deteriorated recently amid disputes over wartime histories, making the joint meeting with Biden a rarity.

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Sharon Braithwaite

Sweden and Finland are on the cusp of joining NATO. Here's why ...

(CNN) Sweden and Finland are set formally to end decades of neutrality and join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) , in a historic breakthrough for the alliance that deals a blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The last major hurdle to the two nations' entry to the bloc was removed when Turkey dropped its opposition on Tuesday.

That breakthrough came during a NATO summit in Madrid that has already become one of the most consequential meetings in the history of the military alliance.

The two countries are now expected to become full NATO members quickly, shoring up the bloc's eastern flank within months of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Here's all you need to know about why the move happened, what comes next and why it matters.

What are the latest developments?

Sweden and Finland both announced their intention to join NATO in May, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine caused a sudden shift in attitudes toward joining the bloc.

That announcement was welcomed by almost all of NATO's leaders -- but there was one significant obstacle. Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said he was not looking at both countries joining NATO "positively," accusing them of housing Kurdish "terrorist organizations."

Under NATO rules, just one member state can veto a new applicant's membership.

However, a big diplomatic breakthrough between the three countries took place at the NATO summit in Madrid on Tuesday. Turkey signed a trilateral memorandum with Finland and Sweden, lifting its opposition and officially welcoming them to join the bloc.

"In NATO, we have always shown that whatever our differences, we can always sit down, find common ground and resolve any issues. NATO's open door policy has been an historic success," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told journalists in Madrid.

On Wednesday, NATO formally invited Sweden and Finland to join, kickstarting a multistage process that will end with both countries holding full membership.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday addressed the Madrid NATO summit, where a key diplomatic breakthrough has paved the way for Sweden and Finland to join.

What happens next?

Stoltenberg said Wednesday that he expects Sweden and Finland to become members of the military alliance quickly.

The invitation sparks a seven-step accession process. Key moments along that path include talks between NATO and the candidate countries. The candidates must formally accept the obligations of membership, and then current member states sign an Accession Protocol, before individually ratifying it back home.

"We need a ratification process in 30 parliaments -- that always takes some time but I expect also that to go rather quickly because allies are ready to try to make that ratification process happen as quickly as possible," Stoltenberg explained Wednesday.

After that, the candidate country is formally invited to accede to the Washington Treaty, the founding document of the alliance.

NATO has an "open door" policy -- any country can be invited to join if it expresses an interest, as long as it is able and willing to uphold the principles of the bloc's founding treaty.

The ratification process usually takes about a year, from the signing of the Accession Protocol by existing members to the country joining the Washington Treaty.

But the war in Ukraine has added unprecedented urgency to Sweden and Finland's membership, and the timeline could be accelerated accordingly.

How have leaders reacted?

US President Joe Biden praised the breakthrough with Turkey, saying it sent a clear signal to Russia that NATO was united and growing.

Sweden and Finland's "decision to move away from neutrality and the tradition of neutrality to join the NATO alliance is going to make us stronger and more secure and NATO stronger," Biden said. "We are sending an unmistakable message in my view... that NATO is strong, united, and the steps we are taking during this summit are going to further augment our collective strength."

Biden said the two Nordic countries' accession was a sign Putin's aims had backfired.

"Putin was looking for the Finlandization of Europe," he said, referring to the so-called Finlandization dynamic that saw Russia dominant over the foreign policy of its smaller neighbor for decades. "He's going to get the NATOization of Europe, and that is exactly what he did not want, that's exactly what needs to be done to guarantee security for Europe. And I think it's necessary," Biden said.

The move was met with delight across the countries that make up NATO's eastern front, many of which have expressed concern that they could be next in Russia's crosshairs if it is successful in Ukraine.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said the step was "significant," and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda called it "wonderful news."

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What does NATO membership entail?

The reason most countries join NATO is because of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which stipulates that all signatories consider an attack on one member an attack against all.

Article 5 has been a cornerstone of the alliance since it was founded in 1949 as a counterweight to the Soviet Union.

The point of the treaty, and Article 5 specifically, was to deter the Soviets from attacking liberal democracies that lacked military strength. Article 5 guarantees that the resources of the whole alliance -- including the massive US military -- can be used to protect any single member nation, such as smaller countries that would be defenseless without their allies. Iceland, for example, has no standing army.

Former Swedish leader Carl Bildt told CNN didn't foresee new big military bases being built in either country if they joined. He said joining the alliance would probably mean more joint military training and planning between Finland, Sweden and the 30 current members. Swedish and Finnish forces could also participate in other NATO operations around the globe, such as those in the Baltic states, where several bases have multinational troops.

"There's going to be preparations for contingencies as part of deterring any adventures that the Russians might be thinking of," Bildt said. "The actual change is going to be fairly limited."

Why haven't Finland and Sweden already joined NATO?

While other Nordic countries like Norway, Denmark and Iceland were original members of the alliance, Sweden and Finland did not join the pact for historic and geopolitical reasons.

Both Finland, which declared independence from Russia in 1917 after the Bolshevik revolution, and Sweden adopted neutral foreign policy stances during the Cold War, refusing to align with either the Soviet Union or the United States.

Sweden's policy of neutrality goes back to the early 1800s, when the country steadfastly stayed out of European conflicts. Its King Gustav XIV formally adopted that neutral status in 1834, according to NATO , and Sweden declared a policy of "non-belligerency" during World War II -- allowing Nazi troops to pass through its land into Finland, while also accepting Jewish refugees.

Sweden opted to maintain its neutral status after the war ended.

Finland's neutrality has historically proved more difficult, as it shared a long border with an authoritarian superpower.

A Finno-Soviet treaty known as the Agreement of Friendship, signed in 1948 and extended on occasion through the decades, prohibited Finland from joining any military alliance considered hostile to the USSR, or from allowing a Western attack through Finnish territory.

To keep the peace, Finns adopted an arrangement sometimes called Finlandization, in which leaders acceded to Soviet demands from time to time. The term was coined during the Cold War and has been applied to other countries in which a superpower exerts control over smaller neighboring states.

Both countries' balancing acts effectively ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Sweden and Finland joined the European Union together in 1995 and gradually aligned their defense policies with the West, while still avoiding joining NATO outright.

Finnish infantry on skis fighting the Soviets during World War II. Following the war, Finland adopted a neutral stance that remained in place for decades.

How Russia's invasion changed everything

Sweden and Finland have been inching toward the West on security issues since joining the EU shortly after the end of the Cold War. But Russia's invasion of Ukraine dramatically accelerated that process, pushing them to pull the trigger on NATO membership.

If the Kremlin was willing to invade Ukraine -- a country with 44 million people, a GDP of about $155 billion, and armed forces of 200,000 active troops -- what would stop Putin from invading smaller countries like Finland or Sweden?

"Everything changed when Russia invaded Ukraine," Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said in April. "People's mindset in Finland, also in Sweden, changed and shifted very dramatically."

Since the invasion of Ukraine in February, Finnish public support for joining NATO has leaped from around 30% to nearly 80% in some polls. The majority of Swedes also approve of their country joining the alliance, according to opinion polls there.

How has Russia reacted?

Russia lambasted the May decision by Finland and Sweden to seek to join the alliance. Its Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said at the time that the move would be a "mistake" with "far-reaching consequences," according to Russian state news agency TASS.

That followed similar threats from high-ranking Moscow officials. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said after the announcement that "NATO expansion does not make the world more stable and secure." He added that Russia's reaction would depend on "how far and how close to our borders the military infrastructure will move."

Russia currently shares about 755 miles of land border with five NATO members, according to the alliance. Finland's accession would mean that a nation with which Russia shares an 830-mile border would become formally militarily aligned with the United States.

The addition of Finland and Sweden would also benefit the alliance, which would frustrate Russia. Both are serious military powers, despite their small populations.

But Putin has so far been more muted in his rhetoric than some of his officials. Last month he said that "Russia has no problems with these states," adding that the expansion of NATO "does not pose a direct threat to Russia."

"But the expansion of military infrastructure into this territory will certainly cause our response," he added at the Collective Security Treaty Organization in Moscow. "We will see what it will be based on the threats that will be created for us."

Why is Russia so opposed to NATO?

Putin sees the alliance as a defense against Russia, despite the fact that it spent much of the post-Soviet era focusing on issues like terrorism and peacekeeping.

Before Putin invaded Ukraine, he made clear his belief that NATO had edged too close to Russia and should be stripped back to its borders of the 1990s, before some countries that either neighbor Russia or were ex-Soviet states joined the military alliance.

Ukraine's desire to join NATO , and its status as a NATO partner -- seen as a step on the way to eventual full membership -- was one of the numerous grievances Putin cited in an attempt to justify the invasion.

Ironically, his invasion has given the alliance new purpose -- and increased its strength.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the GDP of Ukraine, which was $155.5 billion in 2020, according to the World Bank.

Turkey drops objections to Finland and Sweden joining NATO ...

Madrid (CNN) Finnish President Sauli Niinistö said on Tuesday that Turkey has agreed to support Finland and Sweden's NATO membership bids, removing a major hurdle to the two countries joining the alliance.

Niinistö said in a statement that a joint memorandum on the matter was signed by Turkey, Finland and Sweden on Tuesday in Madrid ahead of what is shaping up to be a critical summit.

The joint memorandum underscores the commitment of Finland, Sweden and Turkey "to extend their full support against threats to each other's security," Niinistö said.

"The concrete steps of our accession to NATO will be agreed by the NATO allies during the next two days, but that decision is now imminent," he added.

The two nations formally applied to be part of the security alliance in May, propelled by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had said repeatedly Turkey wouldn't support the bids, accusing the two countries of harboring members of the separatist militant Kurdistan's Workers Party, also known as PKK, which Turkey views as a terrorist organization.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said he is "confident" that Finland and Sweden will be able to successfully join NATO after the signing of the trilateral memorandum of understanding.

"I'm pleased to announce that we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO. Turkey, Finland and Sweden have signed a memorandum that addresses Turkey's concerns, including around arms exports, and the fight against terrorism," Stoltenberg said, speaking to journalists in Madrid following the signing of the memorandum.

On Wednesday, allied leaders will then decide whether to invite Finland and Sweden to join NATO, he said, adding that after this decision a ratification process will need to take place in all NATO capitals.

The NATO chief said that following the signing of this trilateral memorandum however he was "confident" that Sweden and Finland becoming NATO members is "something that will take place."

US President Joe Biden and Erdoğan spoke on the phone ahead of the summit and are expected to meet on Wednesday, said Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.

"We do expect at some point tomorrow, President Erdogan and President Biden have the chance to talk," Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One, but added that details of the meeting are still being worked out.

"There's not a fixed time or framework for the meeting, but they'll have a chance to spend some time together," he said, noting that they will discuss "strategic issues" between the two countries.

As recently as earlier on Tuesday, Erdoğan had told reporters that he had spoken with Biden over the phone before leaving for Madrid, and said Sweden and Finland's applications to join NATO will be top of mind, Erdoğan said.

"The PKK will be on our agenda in my bilateral meetings. We will explain our position to Sweden and Finland once again. The PKK should be prevented from acting in these countries," he said, adding, "If they are to become a member of NATO, they have to address Turkey's security concerns. We do not want dry words, we want results."

A critical summit

Biden arrived in Spain on Tuesday for a NATO summit expected to significantly bolster the alliance's defense posture along its eastern edge, including ramping up troop levels and positioning heavy equipment, as Western leaders contemplate the next phase of the war in Ukraine.

The announcements expected over the course of the two-day summit would harden the collective's defenses as Russia's invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth month, including scaling up the number of troops on high alert to 300,000 -- a sevenfold increase. Not since the Cold War has NATO made such significant enhancements to its posture.

The announcements come amid mounting concerns that the West's resolve in confronting Russia could soon fracture amid rising energy prices and waning interest in the grinding conflict.

"The alliance is strengthening its posture, is dealing with the threats and strengthening our posture against the threats from the east, and challenges from the south. NATO is focused on all directions and domains land, air and sea," Biden said shortly after he arrived.

Speaking alongside the Spanish prime minister, Biden detailed plans to add two US destroyers based at the Rota Naval Station in Spain, bringing the total number of US destroyers based there to six.

"As I said before the war started, if Putin attacked Ukraine, the United States would enhance our force posture in Europe and respond to the reality of a new European security environment," he said.

"Together, the new commitments will constitute an impressive display of allied unity and resolve and NATO's 360-degree approach to our security," he continued.

Biden and his fellow leaders are eager to change the momentum on the ground in Ukraine, where Russia continues to make gains in the East. At the same time, rising energy prices have put pressure on leaders to find a resolution to the conflict.

On Tuesday, his administration announced new sanctions on Moscow, including implementing a ban on new imports of Russian gold that was agreed to at the G7 summit.

A missile strike Monday on a shopping mall in the in the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk was a reminder of Russia's continued brutality.

"Russia's attack on civilians at a shopping mall is cruel. We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people," Biden wrote on Twitter. "As demonstrated at the G7 Summit, the US along with our allies and partners will continue to hold Russia accountable for such atrocities and support Ukraine's defense."

Biden arrives to the NATO gathering after wrapping up final meetings with G7 leaders in Germany, where the Ukraine crisis dominated conversations among leaders. Agreements on sanctions and trying the limit the price of Russian oil were expected to come out of the gathering.

Biden met Tuesday morning with Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, President Emmanuel Macron of France and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom on the margins of the G7, which is taking place in Germany's Bavaria region. The group has played the most significant role in orchestrating the Western response to the war in Ukraine, though differences in opinion exist over how and when to engage Russian President Vladimir Putin in negotiations to end the war.

New announcements on food security

G7 leaders are announcing up to $5 billion funding in global food security Tuesday in the latest effort to counter global effects from the war in Ukraine, more than half of which will come from the United States.

As part of Tuesday's announcement, the Biden administration is committing $2.76 billion "to support efforts in over 47 countries and regional organizations," including $2 billion in direct humanitarian aid and $760 million "for sustainable, near and medium-term food assistance to help enhance the resilience and productivity of food systems around the world, particularly in vulnerable regions," a senior administration official told reporters Tuesday.

According to White House estimates, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent destruction of agriculture equipment and blockade of grain shipments will push up to 40 million people into poverty in 2022. The Biden administration has attempted a number of stopgap measures to move the grain and avert a "catastrophic food shortage" in parts of the world.

"Obviously, Putin's actions have been at the core, and the thing from which you can draw a direct line to all of the vulnerabilities that we're seeing around the world in terms of food security -- his actions have strangled food and agricultural production, using food as a weapon of war," the official said. "This is just one piece of our efforts, and we're committed to do everything we can, both as the United States and the G7, to work with partners around the world to address."

The US's commitment will come from the second Ukraine supplemental assistance package lawmakers passed last month, and is expected to be allocated and delivered by the end of the fiscal year. According to the official, leaders also discussed "a range of approaches" to get Ukraine's grain to market and address global shortages, adding the issue was "at the very top of the list of priorities the leaders have with respect to addressing the food security challenge."

Tuesday's announcement comes on the last day of the G7 Summit in Schloss Elmau, Germany, where leaders are also expected to condemn the harms caused by China's "non-transparent market distorting industrial practices," in a communique wrapping the summit.

Crucial NATO summit begins Tuesday

The President arrived in Madrid in the afternoon for a summit where leaders are expected to endorse a new "Strategic Concept" that outlines the defense alliance's goals for the next decade.

These priorities include "building resilience against transnational threats including cyber and climate" and "deepening partnerships with democratic partners in Europe and Asia in order to strengthen the rules-based international order," the White House says.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday the alliance would scale up the number of troops on high alert to 300,000, a sevenfold increase that reflects the grinding war in Ukraine.

Stoltenberg said Russia had walked away from any partnership with NATO, and the group was obligated to respond.

"They have chosen confrontation instead of dialogue. We regret that -- but of course, then we need to respond to that reality," he said.

Biden described NATO as "united and galvanized" Tuesday but acknowledged the growing costs of the grinding war in Ukraine during a brief photo-op with Spanish King Felipe VI.

"We are ready to face threats of Russian aggression because frankly there's no choice," he said, calling Russia's invasion of Ukraine "the most significant abuse of power since World War II."

"Some people thought it was not likely to happen again but it did. But we responded. We responded in unison," he said.

"When we agreed we were going to respond, we acknowledged there was going to be some costs to our people, our imposition of sanctions on Russia. But our people have stood together. They've stood up and they've stood strong," he said.

The President and first lady Jill Biden will then attend a dinner Tuesday evening for leaders attending the NATO summit, which will be hosted by King Felipe VI and Her Majesty Queen Letizia of Spain.

Challenges at home and abroad

The summit comes as Russia's invasion of Ukraine stretches into its fifth month and as the US looks to keep allies united in its support for Ukraine and sustain the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But it also comes as leaders face the threat of a global recession and the Biden administration grapples with soaring inflation and high prices and interest rates at home. The mounting economic concerns have raised questions about whether the united Western response to the conflict in Ukraine can be sustained in the long term as the war grinds on.

The US assessment of the war increasingly envisions a long and punishing battle in eastern Ukraine that will result in high personnel losses on both sides. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told G7 leaders during a virtual meeting on Monday that he wants the war in Ukraine to end by the end of 2022, according to a source familiar with his remarks.

The US is also preparing to announce the purchase of an advanced medium-to-long range surface-to-air missile defense system that Ukraine's president requested. The announcement could come as soon as this week, and comes in addition to the several packages of military assistance the US has provided since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.

The US will also be unveiling other new sanctions, including on Russian defense companies and individuals. The leaders have agreed to ban imports of new Russian gold, which is the country's second largest export after energy.

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Finland and Sweden want to join NATO. Here's how it works and ...

(CNN) Finland and Sweden are poised to end decades of neutrality by joining NATO, a dramatic evolution in European security and geopolitics sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The two Nordic nations had long kept the military alliance at an arm's length, even while eying Russia to their east with caution.

But Moscow's assault on Ukraine has sparked renewed security concern across the region, and the leaders of each country have signaled their desire to join the bloc after more than 75 years of military non-alignment.

Here's what you need to know about how the war in Ukraine caused the shift, and what comes next.

What's happened so far?

Finnish leaders announced their intentions to join NATO on Thursday , and formally presented that desire at a press conference on Sunday.

Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson followed suit on Monday, confirming her government had decided to begin the process of seeking NATO membership.

Finland's move to seek to join the alliance requires a vote in parliament, but given the support of the ruling government, that hurdle is expected to be passed comfortably. In Sweden, the move was debated in parliament on Monday and there is broad support for joining NATO, but the government does not need parliamentary consent to move ahead.

"When we look at Russia, we see a very different kind of Russia today than we saw just a few months ago," Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said Sunday. "Everything has changed when Russia attacked Ukraine. And I personally think that we cannot trust anymore there will be a peaceful future next to Russia."

Joining NATO is "an act of peace [so] that there will never again be war in Finland in the future," Marin said.

Her Swedish counterpart, Andersson, said Monday: "To ensure the safety of Swedish people, the best way forward is to join NATO together with Finland."

When asked when exactly the country will hand in the application, she said it could it happen either Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday this week, adding that it needs to be done in coordination with Finland.

The announcements were met with support from leaders in almost all NATO nations. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters "the United States would strongly support the NATO application by either Sweden or Finland should they choose to formally apply to the alliance. We will respect whatever decision they make."

Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin and its President Sauli Niinistö announced their decision to join NATO on Sunday.

What comes next?

NATO has what it calls an "open door policy" on new members -- any European country can request to join, so long as they meet certain criteria and all existing members agree.

A country does not technically "apply" to join; Article 10 of its founding treaty states that, once a nation has expressed interest, the existing member states "may, by unanimous agreement, invite any other European State in a position to further the principles of this Treaty ... to accede."

NATO diplomats told Reuters that ratification of new members could take a year, as the legislatures of all 30 current members must approve new applicants.

Both Finland and Sweden already meet many of the requirements for membership, which include having a functioning democratic political system based on a market economy; treating minority populations fairly; committing to resolve conflicts peacefully; the ability and willingness to make a military contribution to NATO operations; and committing to democratic civil-military relations and institutions.

The process may not be without hurdles; Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday he was not looking at both countries joining NATO "positively," accusing them of housing Kurdish "terrorist organizations."

Finnish President Sauli Niinistö told CNN he was "confused" by those comments on Sunday, claiming Erdogan had been far more receptive to the idea in a telephone conversation between the two leaders a month ago.

"I think that what we need now is a very clear answer. I'm prepared to have a new discussion with President Erdogan about the problems he has raised," Niinistö said.

But NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attempted to allay concerns about Turkey's stance, saying Sunday the country "has made it clear that their intention is not to block membership." Blinken also said Sunday he was "very confident that we will reach consensus."

In the meantime, both countries will have to rely on its current allies and partners for security guarantees, rather than Article 5 -- the clause which states an attack against one NATO nation is an attack against all, and which triggers a collective response in that event.

Sweden and Finland have received assurances of support from the United States and Germany should they come under attack, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed mutual security agreements with his Finnish and Swedish counterparts last week.

What does NATO membership entail?

The reason most countries join NATO is because of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which stipulates that all signatories consider an attack on one an attack against all.

Article 5 has been a cornerstone of the alliance since NATO was founded in 1949 as a counterweight to the Soviet Union.

The point of the treaty, and Article 5 specifically, was to deter the Soviets from attacking liberal democracies that lacked military strength. Article 5 guarantees that the resources of the whole alliance -- including the massive US military -- can be used to protect any single member nation, such as smaller countries who would be defenseless without their allies. Iceland, for example, has no standing army.

Former Swedish leader Carl Bildt told CNN he doesn't see new big military bases being built in either country should they join NATO. He said that joining the alliance would likely mean more joint military training and planning between Finland, Sweden and NATO's 30 current members. Swedish and Finnish forces could also participate in other NATO operations around the globe, such as those in the Baltic states, where several bases have multinational troops.

"There's going to be preparations for contingencies as part of deterring any adventures that the Russians might be thinking of," Bildt said. "The actual change is going to be fairly limited."

Why haven't Finland and Sweden already joined NATO?

While other Nordic countries like Norway, Denmark and Iceland were original members of the alliance, Sweden and Finland did not join the pact for historic and geopolitical reasons.

Both Finland, which declared independence from Russia in 1917 after the Bolshevik revolution, and Sweden adopted neutral foreign policy stances during the Cold War, refusing to align with the Soviet Union or the United States.

Sweden's policy of neutrality goes back to the early 1800s, when the country steadfastly stayed out of European conflicts. Its King Gustav XIV formally adopted that neutral status in 1834, according to NATO , and Sweden declared a policy of "non-belligerency" during World War II -- allowing Nazi troops to pass through its land into Finland, while also accepting Jewish refugees.

Sweden opted to maintain its neutral status after the war ended.

Finland's neutrality has historically proved more difficult, as it shared a massive border with an authoritarian superpower.

A Finno-Soviet treaty known as the Agreement of Friendship, signed in 1948 and extended on occasion through the decades, prohibited Finland from joining any military alliance considered hostile to the USSR, or from allowing a Western attack through Finnish territory.

To keep the peace, Finns adopted a process some call "Finlandization," in which leaders acceded to Soviet demands from time to time. The term was coined during the Cold War and has been applied to other countries in which a superpower exerts control over smaller neighboring states.

JUST WATCHED Fmr. Finnish PM: 'Finlandization' not an answer for Ukraine Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Fmr. Finnish PM: 'Finlandization' not an answer for Ukraine 10:01

Both countries' balancing acts effectively ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Sweden and Finland joined the European Union together in 1995 and gradually aligned their defense policies with the West, while still avoiding joining NATO outright.

Each country had different reasons for avoiding signing up for NATO pact in tandem with the EU.

For Finland, it was more geopolitical. The threat for Russia is more tangible thanks to the two countries' shared 830-mile border.

"Finland has been the exposed country, and we've been the protected country," Bildt told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in a joint interview alongside former Finnish prime minister Alexander Stubb.

While an independent nation, Sweden's geography puts it in the same "strategic environment" as its liberal democratic neighbors, Bildt said. Finland and Sweden have enjoyed a close partnership for decades, with Stockholm viewing its decision to refrain from joining NATO as a way to help keep the heat off Helsinki. Now, however, Sweden is likely to follow Finland's lead.

"We share the idea that close cooperation will benefit both of us," current Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said at a news conference last month alongside her Finnish counterpart Marin.

How Russia's invasion changed everything

Sweden and Finland have been inching towards the West on security issues since joining the EU in 1995, shortly after the end of the Cold War. But Russia's invasion of Ukraine dramatically accelerated that process, pushing Sweden and Finland to pull the trigger on NATO membership.

If the Kremlin was willing to invade Ukraine -- a country with 44 million people, a GDP of about $516 million, and an armed forces of 200,000 active troops -- what would stop Putin from invading smaller countries like Finland in Sweden?

"Everything changed when Russia invaded Ukraine," Finnish premier Marin said in April. "People's mindset in Finland, also in Sweden changed and shifted very dramatically."

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, public support for joining NATO in Finland has leaped from around 30% to nearly 80% in some polls. The majority of Swedes also approve of their country joining the alliance, according to opinion polls there.

"Our NATO membership was decided on the 24th of February, at 5 o'clock in the morning, when Putin and Russia attacked Ukraine" former Finnish leader Stubb told CNN. "Finland and Sweden would not have joined without this attack."

Officials in both Sweden and Finland have also expressed frustration that, in the lead-up to the war in Ukraine , Russia attempted to demand security guarantees from NATO that the alliance stop expanding eastward. Such a concession, however, would have effectively given Russia the power to dictate the foreign policies of its neighbors by taking away their ability to choose their own allies and partners.

Russia, Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist told CNN, wants "real influence in the security choices in Europe."

"They want an influence over the countries in the neighborhood. And that is totally unacceptable for Sweden."

All NATO members must agree to adopt a new nation.

How has Russia reacted?

Russia lambasted the decision by Finland and Sweden. Its deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Monday that the move would be a "mistake" with "far-reaching consequences," according to state news agency TASS.

That followed similar threats from high-ranking Moscow officials. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that "NATO expansion does not make the world more stable and secure" after the announcement. He added that Russia's reaction would depend on "how far and how close to our borders the military infrastructure will move."

Russia currently shares about 755 miles of land border with five NATO members, according to the alliance. Finland's accession would mean that a nation with which Russia shares an 830-mile border would become formally militarily aligned with the United States.

The addition of Finland and Sweden would also benefit the alliance, which would frustrate Russia. Both are serious military powers, despite their small populations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that "Russia has no problems with these states," adding that the expansion of NATO "does not pose a direct threat to Russia."

"But the expansion of military infrastructure into this territory will certainly cause our response," he added at the Collective Security Treaty Organization in Moscow. "We will see what it will be based on the threats that will be created for us."

However, Bildt and Stubb, the former Swedish and Finnish premiers, believe that so far, Russia's response has been relatively muted.

"The Kremlin sees Finnish and Swedish NATO membership as a Nordic solution, and in that sense, not a radical threat," said Stubb. "We're not too worried."

Stubb and Bildt said they believe Moscow ultimately sees the two countries as reliable neighbors, despite their decision to join a Washington-backed alliance.

"The fact that Finland and Sweden are part of the West doesn't come as a surprise," said Bildt.

Why does Russia loathe NATO?

Putin sees the alliance as a bulwark aimed at Russia, despite the fact that it had spent much of the post-Soviet years focusing on issues like terrorism and peacekeeping.

Before Putin invaded Ukraine, he made clear his belief that NATO had edged too close to Russia and should be stripped back to its borders of the 1990s, before some countries that either neighbor Russia or were ex-Soviet states joined the military alliance.

Ukraine's desire to join NATO , and its status as a NATO partner -- seen as a step on the way to eventual full membership -- was one of the numerous grievances Putin cited in an attempt to justify his country's invasion of its neighbor.

The irony is that the war in Ukraine has, effectively, given NATO a new purpose.

"Article 5 is back in the game, and people understand that we need NATO because of a potential Russian threat," Stubb said in an interview with CNN before the invasion.

This story has been corrected to reflect that Sweden's government does not need parliament's consent to pursue membership in NATO.

Inside Biden's successful six-month bid to expand NATO - CNNPolitics

Madrid (CNN) President Joe Biden was meeting royalty in Spain on Tuesday when word arrived that an audacious plan he had hatched six months earlier was in the final stages of completion.

The leaders of Finland and Sweden were meeting across town in a conference room with the leader of Turkey, who for weeks had thrown up roadblocks to their accession to NATO . The group had reached a breakthrough. But they wanted a gut check to ensure Biden approved.

Leaving his meeting with King Felipe VI at the Royal Palace, Biden was briefed on the agreement struck by Finland's President Sauli Niinistö and Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey. And he gave the sign-off.

In the six-and-a-half months since Biden placed his first phone call to Niinistö suggesting he join NATO, the security situation in Europe has been altered drastically. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has thrown out long-standing assumptions about the security of nations along its borders. And countries that had for decades upheld a strict neutrality policy are suddenly reconsidering their stance.

"Their decision to move away from neutrality, and the tradition of neutrality, to join the NATO alliance is going to make us stronger and more secure, and NATO stronger," Biden said at the start of the NATO summit in Madrid on Wednesday. "We are sending an unmistakable message in my view ... that NATO is strong, united and the steps we are taking during this summit are going to further augment our collective strength."

Biden said the two Scandinavian countries' expected accession was a sign that Putin's aims of containing NATO's spread eastward had backfired.

"I said Putin was looking for the 'Finlandization' of Europe. He's going to get the 'NATOization' of Europe, and that is exactly what he did not want, that's exactly what needs to be done to guarantee security for Europe. And I think it's necessary," he said.

The efforts to bring Finland and Sweden into NATO were both the work of months of steady diplomacy and, over the past days, an intensive flurry of phone calls and meetings between top officials.

The process was described by senior US and European officials. On Wednesday, NATO formally extended invitations to Finland and Sweden to join the alliance.

Heading into this week's summit, few of those officials believed the issues blocking the two Scandinavian countries' accession would be resolved by the time leaders departed Madrid. Instead, they had resigned themselves to making progress on an issue they believed could extend months longer.

Instead, a marathon set of meetings, a strategically timed phone call from Biden to Erdoğan and a last-minute sign off resulted in the path being cleared for NATO's newest members. In the end, Biden dangled the prospect of a formal meeting with Erdoğan on the margins of this week's summit as he pushed to get the plan over the finish line.

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it is clear why Finland and Sweden would consider abandoning their longtime security postures to join NATO. But in December, before Russian tanks began rolling into Ukraine, the prospect was more far-fetched.

Still, on December 13, Biden placed a phone call to Niinistö to raise the idea. Russian President Vladimir Putin had been massing troops and equipment along Ukraine's borders. And it was clear to him the security situation in Europe was about to change dramatically.

In March, after the invasion began, Biden invited Niinistö to the White House for talks. Sitting in the Oval Office and hashing out details of the proposal, the two men picked up the phone and called Andersson in Sweden -- where it was after dark -- to fill her in.

In May, the two countries formally submitted their applications to join the NATO alliance. The next day, they were in the White House Rose Garden with Biden marking a historic milestone.

"After 200 years of military non-alignment, Sweden has chosen a new path," Andersson said.

"Finland has made its decision after a rapid but a very thorough process," Niinistö added.

Clouding the Rose Garden celebrations, however, was firm resistance from Turkey at adding new members to the alliance. Long NATO's most challenging member, Erdoğan accused the nations of harboring members of the separatist militant Kurdistan's Workers Party, also known as PKK, which Turkey views as a terrorist organization.

He also wanted the countries to get rid of an embargo on arms sales to Turkey that was put into place after Turkey's military intervention in northern Syria in 2019.

The three countries continued talking. But in a conscious decision, Biden tried to keep his distance and avoid putting the United States in the middle. Instead, Biden "chose his moments selectively to try to help put a thumb on the scale to get this across the finish line," according to a senior administration official.

"The Americans do not want to put themselves in the middle of this because the price then goes up," a European official said. "If the American (President) somehow indicate that this is that problem, (Erdoğan will) have a whole load of other things he wants to ask for."

Still, talks continued among the different parties. National security adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with their Turkish counterparts. Finland and Sweden maintained their own talks with Turkey. And the talks slogged on.

As the Madrid summit approached, US and European officials grew increasingly frustrated at Turkey's resistance, which some believed was being drawn out on purpose to extract concessions. Officials who once privately said they hoped the Madrid summit would act as a welcoming party for the alliance's two newest members came to believe the prospect was unlikely.

"I am not sitting here today suggesting that all issues will be resolved by Madrid," Sullivan said on Monday -- a day ahead of Biden's arrival in Madrid.

But as the summit neared, signs of progress emerged. And on Tuesday morning, Biden received a request from Niinistö and Andersson: The time was right for him to place a call to Erdoğan.

Speaking from the Bavarian Alps, where he was attending the G7 summit, Biden encouraged the until-then recalcitrant Turkish leader to "seize the moment and get this done in Madrid," the administration official said. And he told him if the deal could be struck before the summit began, it would set the stage for a formal bilateral meeting between the two men in Spain.

"It is Turkey's standard operating procedure not to give concessions till the last possible moment. And that last possible moment is usually defined as a bilateral with the US president," the European official said.

The strategy proved effective. By the early evening, Niinistö, Andersson and Erdoğan were announcing that Turkey's objections had been dropped and Finland and Sweden's applications to join NATO would go ahead. And Biden will meet formally with Erdoğan on Wednesday.

Turkey said it "got what it wanted" in the agreement, including cooperation on "extradition of terrorist criminals." The senior US administration official said there were "a bunch of moving parts" and not a "single word or phrase" that proved the final sticking point.

Erdoğan's long-standing grievances toward the United States, including Washington's refusal to sell Turkey F-16 fighter jets and his demand the US extradite a cleric he accuses of cultivating a coup attempt, remain unresolved -- and are likely to arise in his meeting with Biden.

Whatever the dispute once was, however, leaders framed the outcome as a triumph. And more than four months into the Russian war in Ukraine, NATO is poised to welcome two new members.

"Congratulations to Finland, Sweden, and Turkey on signing a trilateral memorandum -- a crucial step towards a NATO invite to Finland and Sweden, which will strengthen our Alliance and bolster our collective security -- and a great way to begin the Summit," Biden wrote on Twitter.

The image was from their May meeting as they walked into the Rose Garden.

CLARIFICATION: This story has been updated to clarify how Biden learned of the deal between Finland, Sweden and Turkey.

Analysis: Finland is on the verge of asking to join NATO. Here's why ...

(CNN) Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine has backfired on a number of fronts. But one of the most disastrous consequences of all for the Russian President is the increasingly likely prospect of Finland joining NATO.

The Nordic nation is expected to announce its interest in NATO membership as soon as this week after its Foreign Affairs Committee drafts a response to the government's security report -- which includes the option of joining the alliance. After that, the Finnish parliament will hold an extraordinary debate on whether to approve the security report recommendations.

At this point it is very likely NATO would invite the country to talk about accession to the alliance.

It is broadly believed this would happen very quickly, as Finland already meets most of the criteria and it's highly unlikely any NATO members would object.

Multiple recent opinion polls have shown that at least 60% of Finns are now in favor of NATO membership, a huge jump from a previous high of around 30% in past years.

If this plays out as expected, this country of under 6 million people will have redrawn the European security map in a way that was previously inconceivable and may have tremendous consequences for Russia.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg talks speaks during a joint press with Sweden and Finland's Foreign ministers after their meeting at the Nato headquarters in Brussels on January 24, 2022.

Before Putin invaded Ukraine, he made clear his belief that NATO had edged too close to Russia and should be stripped back to its borders of the 1990s, before some countries that either neighbor Russia or were ex-Soviet states joined the military alliance.

Russia currently shares about 755 miles of land border with five NATO members, according to the alliance. Finland's accession would mean that a nation with which Russia shares an 800-mile border would become formally militarily aligned with the United States.

Not only would this be bad news for the Kremlin, but the addition of Finland would be quite a boon for NATO. Despite its relatively small population, Finland is a serious military power that has been unofficially aligned with the West for decades. Its military has for decades used equipment purchased from the United States that is compatible with NATO allies, meaning it could easily join NATO missions should it choose to do so.

'Survival' ideology

Many believe the only reason Finland hadn't joined the alliance prior to the Ukraine crisis was simple pragmatism.

"Finnish security has always been based on two concepts: first geography and history; second idealism and realism," Alexander Stubb, a former Prime Minister of Finland, told CNN.

"In an ideal world we want to cooperate with Russia, which we cannot escape being our geographical neighbor. But we also know from history that the greatest realistic threat to our national security is Russia. Over time, the reality that Russia is willing to create greater chaos in our region has become even clearer, so joining NATO becomes the pragmatic option," he said.

Historically, Finland has navigated these competing realities by simultaneously indulging Russia's security concerns, however irrational they may be, while also maintaining high defense spending and a standing military that is compatible with Western allies.

"It's always been bonkers, the idea that a Western country would invade Russia, but we have tried to minimize those concerns by boosting trade and cooperating in other areas," said Charly Salonius-Pasternak, a leading researcher in global security at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.

He adds, however, that on top of policies like conscription -- all Finnish men are liable to be called up for military service -- and high defense spending, Finnish politicians have consistently sold to the public the idea that Finland's idealistic way of life must be maintained at all costs.

Swedish Army armoured vehicles and tanks participate in a military exercise called "Cold Response 2022", gathering around 30,000 troops from NATO member countries as well as Finland and Sweden, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Setermoen in the Arctic Circle, Norway, March 25, 2022.

"Finland's default ideology has been one of survival. In the past 100 years we have become a strong, sovereign country with high standards of living. We have had to sacrifice land in order to maintain peace," Salonius-Pasternak said. "It is therefore vitally important that our way of life survives, whether that is by pragmatic diplomacy or taking a harder stance against our greatest threat."

There is no doubt that Finland joining NATO would be a major blow to Putin. Not only would it mean those extra 800 miles of shared border with the alliance, but symbolically it would go further in uniting the anti-Putin coalition that has emerged since the invasion of Ukraine. Countries that were once neutral are now providing funding and arms to Ukraine and Putin is an international pariah with fewer allies by the day.

It would also expand NATO's influence in northern Europe all the way up to the Arctic, an area that is becoming increasingly important geopolitically due to its natural resources, strategic location and numerous territorial claims -- including by Russia, Finland and the US.

Sweden, which neighbors Finland to the west, is also considering joining the alliance -- and Finland's accession would make it all the more likely, as the two countries have been on a similar journey since the start of the Ukraine crisis.

Russian response

Of course, there are concerns over how Russia might react to Finland expressing its desire to join NATO.

Martti Kari, who previously served as Finland's assistant chief of defense intelligence, told CNN that Russia is already starting a misinformation campaign against it. "The main theme is that Finland is a Nazi country, because we fought against [the] Soviet Union in the Second World War alongside of Nazi Germany," he said.

He predicts that Russia could violate Finland's airspace and disrupt its activities at sea, including shipping, as well as upping its intelligence operations against the country.

Håkon Lunde Saxi, an associate professor at the Norwegian Defence University College, thinks that any move toward Finnish NATO membership would "probably result in a Russian military build-up along NATO's new border with Russia, which would in itself not be beneficial for Finnish or European security."

Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin addresses a press conference in Berlin on March 16, 2022.

However, he believes that the benefits would by far outweigh the "possible negative consequences of a somewhat larger Russian military footprint along Finland's border."

And despite concerns over what would happen in the interim period, where Finland would not be protected by NATO membership but would be in negotiations, multiple officials have told CNN that they expect members of the alliance, notably the UK and US, to guarantee Finnish security through this process.

Of course, nothing is certain until Finland makes the first move of declaring its intention. But with public approval, political support and Russia providing every reason for another of its neighbors to join its hated rival, there's little doubt that Putin's gambit to decrease NATO'S influence in Europe has backfired, spectacularly.

Justice Stephen Breyer, NATO and R. Kelly. It's Wednesday's news.

The Jan. 6 committee seeks testimony from more Trump administration witnesses. Finland and Sweden have received invitations to join NATO. And a Supreme Court justice announces he will be stepping down tomorrow.

👋 Hi! Julius here, tagging in for Laura today. Let's get into Wednesday's news.

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What's next after stunning Jan. 6 testimony?

Following shocking testimony Tuesday from ex-White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, members of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack are calling for more Trump administration witnesses to testify. Hutchinson painted a picture of a president prone to outrage as Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election failed. Here's where the investigation stands in the wake of Tuesday's bombshells:

Former Trump aides deny seeking pardons: Spokesman Ben Williamson said former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows "never sought a pardon and never planned to." Rudy Giuliani also denied seeking a pardon for actions around the insurrection, tweeting: "I specifically told President Trump I did not want or need a pardon."

Spokesman Ben Williamson said former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows "never sought a pardon and never planned to." Rudy Giuliani also denied seeking a pardon for actions around the insurrection, tweeting: "I specifically told President Trump I did not want or need a pardon." Virginia “Ginni” Thomas might not testify: Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, told the Daily Caller on June 16 that she was eager to testify. But her lawyer responded Tuesday to the committee’s request with a letter questioning why her testimony was needed at all.

Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, told the Daily Caller on June 16 that she was eager to testify. But her lawyer responded Tuesday to the committee’s request with a letter questioning why her testimony was needed at all. Former White House counsel Pat Cipollone asked to testify: Hutchinson in her testimony described Cipollone warning against allowing Trump to visit the Capitol with the mob of his supporters because he could be charged with “every crime imaginable."

Hutchinson in her testimony described Cipollone warning against allowing Trump to visit the Capitol with the mob of his supporters because he could be charged with “every crime imaginable." Historical perspective: Presidential historian Michael Beschloss said there has never been credible testimony in front of Congress "this shocking" against a U.S. president.

Finland, Sweden are on the cusp of joining NATO

NATO leaders have formally invited Sweden and Finland to join the alliance. The two historically neutral countries seek to join the alliance amid concerns about their own security following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Their membership would redraw the map, potentially placing NATO troops on the Finnish-Russian border. Final approval could still be months away because the legislative bodies of all 30 NATO countries must vote to accept the new members.

What everyone's talking about

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Breyer says his retirement from Supreme Court effective Thursday

Associate Justice Stephen Breyer's retirement from the Supreme Court will be effective Thursday, after the court issues its final set of rulings for this term, the court announced. In January, Breyer informed President Joe Biden that he would step down at the end of the term if his replacement was confirmed by the Senate. D.C. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed in April, and she will now be sworn in as the first Black woman to serve on the nation's highest court. Breyer's retirement comes after nearly 28 years on the court.

Identifying the 53 people found dead in San Antonio will be difficult

Experts say identifying the bodies of the 53 people found dead in an abandoned semitruck in San Antonio may be a long, complicated and costly process, not only because multiple countries are involved, but because families of migrants seeking relocation to the United States may be fearful of coming forward. As of Tuesday evening, Bexar County spokesman Tom Peine said there were 34 “potential IDs” among the victims — made up of 39 males and 12 females, including some of whom are likely teenagers. Meanwhile, a specialized team of death investigators has been helping with the case, using whatever identification or documents may have been found on the victims or at the scene to help.

Real quick

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R. Kelly sentenced to 30 years in prison after sex trafficking guilty verdict

A New York federal judge has sentenced musician R. Kelly to 30 years in prison after he was found guilty last year of nine counts of sex trafficking and racketeering. Through tears and anger, R. Kelly’s accusers told a court Wednesday that he preyed on them and misled his fans as the star listened with downcast eyes. In September, a jury of seven men and five women found the 55-year-old guilty after just two days of deliberations.

A break from the news

Ukraine live updates: NATO invites Sweden, Finland to alliance

On the same day NATO formally invited Sweden and Finland to join the security alliance, President Joe Biden said the U.S. will increase its military presence in eastern Europe amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Upon arriving at the NATO summit in Madrid on Wednesday, Biden announced the U.S. would establish its first permanent headquarters in Poland, maintain an additional rotational brigade in Romania and boost its rotational deployments in the Baltic region.

The troops in Poland would represent the first permanent U.S. forces on NATO’s eastern flank. The alliance plans to build up stocks of equipment and ammunition in the east and increase almost eightfold the size of its overall rapid-reaction force, from 40,000 to 300,000 troops, by next year.

With opposition from Turkey out of the way, NATO also intends to expand to 32 nations by welcoming previously nonaligned Sweden and Finland, which have grown wary of Russian aggression. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the war had brought “the biggest overhaul of our collective defense since the end of the Cold War.”

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Latest developments

►In the first day of the NATO summit, allies approved a new Strategic Concept for the Alliance, describing how it will address threats and challenges to security moving forward. The document includes a statement that defines Russia as the “most significant and direct threat” to allies’ security.

►The government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, which remained in power thanks to the 2015 intervention of Russian forces amid a civil war, said it will recognize the “independence and sovereignty” of Ukraine’s separatists eastern republics in the Luhansk and Donetsk provinces.

►Egypt will receive a $500 million loan from the World Bank to help finance wheat purchases aimed at providing subsidized food for the country's poor households as prices skyrocket because of the war in Ukraine, the bank said.

►A cyberattack temporarily knocked out public and private websites in Norway in the past 24 hours, Norwegian authorities said, pointing to a criminal pro-Russian group as the likely culprit.

Russian missile attack on mall may have been an accident, UK says

The airstrike that killed 18 people and injured dozens of others Monday in an Ukrainian shopping mall may indeed have been an accident, as Russian authorities have claimed, but their commanders don't hesitate to put civilians at risk in pursuit of military gains.

That's according to the latest intelligence assessment from the British Ministry of Defense, which points out Russia's bombing inaccuracy has resulted in mass casualties before in this war.

"Russian planners highly likely remain willing to accept a high level of collateral damage when they perceive military necessity in striking a target,'' said the assessment, deeming it a "realistic possibility'' the Russians were aiming for an infrastructure target nearby when their missile blasted the Kremenchuk shopping center.

The attack drew international condemnation, with French President Emmanuel Macron calling it a "new war crime.'' Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the U.N. to establish an international tribunal to investigate.

REPO task force has confiscated $30 billion from oligarchs

The REPO task force is living up to its acronym.

The multinational committee in charge of confiscating the wealth of Russian elites allied with President Vladimir Putin has blocked and frozen $30 billion in property and funds of sanctioned oligarchs during its first 100 days, the Treasury Department said.

That doesn't include the yachts, other vessels and luxury real estate that have been impounded or the $300 billion in Russian Central Bank funds that have been frozen, the department said.

“We continue to increase Russia’s cost of its war,” Treasury said of the REPO task force, whose acronym stands for Russian Elites, Proxies and Oligarchs. The European Commission has set up its own Freeze and Seize Task Force to work in conjunction with the REPO group.

Likely NATO expansion a major blow for Putin

NATO's expansion to 32 nations, which got closer to reality when Sweden and Finland were invited to join Wednesday, represents a major blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who for years railed about the security alliance getting close to his country's doorstep.

Putin cited Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO as one of the reasons for launching his "special operation.'' Instead of splintering the bloc as he hoped, Putin is watching NATO unify in opposition to Russian aggression and grow as a result. Sweden and Finland, nonaligned for decades, were prompted to seek stronger protection once the war began.

“It’s a defeat for him. It’s a kick in the gut,” said Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank that specializes in foreign policy and international relations.

The membership offer to the two Nordic countries became fait accompli Tuesday when Turkey withdrew its opposition after negotiating an agreement addressing concerns about Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. NATO admission requires a unanimous vote from member states.

At a meeting with leaders of countries around the Caspian Sea, Putin rejected the notion his plans had backfired, saying, “For us, the membership of Finland and Sweden is nothing like the membership of Ukraine. They understand this perfectly well.”

-- Francesca Chambers and Michael Collins

Putin still aims to claim most of Ukraine, US intelligence chief says

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not changed his goals in Ukraine even though they don't seem realistic, the top U.S. intelligence official said Wednesday.

Avril Haines, the Director of National Intelligence, foresees a long, “grinding struggle” in which Russia retains the parts of the eastern Donbas region it already controls and consolidates its hold over the south by the fall but likely doesn't get beyond that.

Speaking at an event in Washington, Haines said Putin “has effectively the same political goals that he had previously, which is to say that he wants to take most of Ukraine” and push it away from NATO.

“We perceive a disconnect between Putin’s near-term military objectives in this area and his military’s capacity, a kind of mismatch between his ambitions and what the military is able to accomplish,” she said.

Russia continues to make incremental advances in Lysychansk, the last city in Luhansk province it doesn't command. The invading forces and their separatist allies control 95% of Luhansk and about half of Donetsk, which make up the mostly Russian-speaking Donbas.

Ukraine conducts biggest prisoner exchange with Russia since war began

The Ukrainian government announced its largest prisoner exchange of the war, with 144 soldiers returning home, according to a post on the country's defense ministry's Telegram account.

Of those, 95 were involved in defending the Azovstal steel plant in the devastated southern city of Mariupol, captured by Russia weeks ago. Denis Pushilin, leader of the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic, said both sides released the same number of soldiers.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Biden to NATO: US will establish permanent troop presence in Poland

MADRID – President Joe Biden pledged Wednesday to boost the U.S. military presence in eastern Europe, including establishing a permanent presence in Poland, as he gathered Wednesday with other NATO leaders at a summit intended to show resolve against Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.

"In a moment when Putin has shattered peace in Europe and attacked the very, very tenets of rule-based order, the United States and our allies, we're going to step up. We're stepping up," Biden said at the NATO summit in Madrid.

Biden said the U.S. would also enhance its rotational deployments in the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

'A kick in the gut':Finland's, Sweden's drive to join NATO a defeat for Putin, a win for the West

Two heavyweights:New phase of Russia war on Ukraine is slog of two sides slugging it out

The U.S. is also sending two additional F-35 squadrons to the U.K., stationing two more destroyers in Spain and will improve defense capabilities in Germany and Italy.

Working with military allies, Biden said the U.S. would help ensure that NATO nations are "ready to meet threats from all directions, across every domain."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this week the organization would put 300,000 troops on high alert, in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. More than 40,000 troops are currently under NATO command.

The U.S. has deployed or extended the deployment of more than 20,000 additional forces to Europe since the start of Putin's war against Ukraine in February, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said.

That brings the number of American service members on the continent to more 100,000, Kirby said.

The latest

NATO expansion : NATO leaders have formally invited Sweden and Finland to join the alliance. The invitation comes just hours after Turkey dropped its objections to the Nordic nations’ membership. Final approval could still be months away because the legislative bodies of all 30 NATO countries must vote to accept their membership.

: NATO leaders have formally invited Sweden and Finland to join the alliance. The invitation comes just hours after Turkey dropped its objections to the Nordic nations’ membership. Final approval could still be months away because the legislative bodies of all 30 NATO countries must vote to accept their membership. Where's Biden: He's participating in closed-door sessions with other heads of state and government of NATO nations and bilateral meetings with U.S. allies.

He's participating in closed-door sessions with other heads of state and government of NATO nations and bilateral meetings with U.S. allies. What to watch: Biden's meeting with the Turkish president. The leaders spoke by phone Monday ahead of a face-to-face conversation at the NATO summit.

Biden's meeting with the Turkish president. The leaders spoke by phone Monday ahead of a face-to-face conversation at the NATO summit. What will Biden offer? Celeste Wallander, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, suggested the U.S. may sell Turkey upgraded F-16 fighter jets.

Celeste Wallander, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, suggested the U.S. may sell Turkey upgraded F-16 fighter jets. Challenging China: Biden also held hold a joint meeting with Japan's Fumio Kishida and South Korea's Yoon Seok-youl at the summit site. Neither countries are NATO nations, yet they are participating in the summit for the first time.

Biden also held hold a joint meeting with Japan's Fumio Kishida and South Korea's Yoon Seok-youl at the summit site. Neither countries are NATO nations, yet they are participating in the summit for the first time. On the menu: Visiting leaders will have dinner with President Pedro Sánchez of Spain.

What's about to happen

NATO nations are building out their strategic concept, a document that will determine what issues the alliance focuses on over the next decade.

Wednesday was the first full day of the summit. Leaders will meet again on Thursday.

What they are saying

Biden said as he arrived at the NATO gathering site that it will be a "history-making summit," where leaders will "reaffirm the unity and determination to our alliance to defend every inch NATO territory."

The U.S. president said the alliance's Article Five commitment to protect NATO nations if they are attacked "is sacrosanct."

"We mean when we say an attack against one is an attack against all," Biden said.

Biden asserted that Finland's and Sweden's decision to move away from neutrality to join NATO will make the alliance stronger and more secure.

President Pedro Sánchez of Spain told leaders at their first group session that entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO "is a milestone" that will make the alliance stronger.

"The world is looking at us. Let us show them our unity and our cohesion," he said.

The Department of Defense said the U.S. will "permanently forward station" the V Corps headquarters and field support battalion in Poland.

Wallander of DOD called it a "significant decision" and a recognition that the U.S. need to have a "longer-term capability to sustain our presence, our training, our activities, and our support to the countries of the eastern flank.

Other takeaways

Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea's decision to attend the summit for the first time is significant. It demonstrates NATO nations' growing concerns about the rising influence of China in the Indo-Pacific.

Biden has sought to neutralize China in Russia's war against Ukraine. But will Indo-Pacific powers aligning themselves more closely with the West and NATO's strategic concept naming China as an area of concern change Xi Jinping's calculation change?

How the West handles Russian aggression in Ukraine will affect how Xi approaches Taiwan, the U.S. president has stressed. On a trip to Asia last month, Biden said China is " flirting with danger" and recommitted the U.S. to defending Taiwan, which is a democratically governed part of China, if Xi attempts to take control by force.

Want to know more? Here's what you missed

Biden is in Europe meeting with allies at a NATO summit. He aims to keep the military alliance united behind Ukraine and foot stomp a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

NATO SUMMIT BEGINS:Biden, NATO allies convene in Spain to craft strategies dealing with Russia, China over next decade

PUNCHING BACK AT PUTIN:'A kick in the gut': Finland's, Sweden's drive to join NATO a defeat for Putin, a win for the West

US considering sale of fighter jets to Turkey

The U.S. signaled its support on Wednesday for the sale of new F-16 fighter jets to Turkey ahead of a meeting in Madrid between Biden and the Turkish president.

"The United States supports Turkey’s modernization of its fighter fleet because that is a contribution to NATO security and therefore American security," the Department of Defense's Wallander said.

Turkey had been blocking Sweden and Finland's application to join NATO but removed its opposition on the first day of the summit – hours after Biden spoke to Erdoğan by phone.

An official told reporters traveling with Biden in Madrid that the U.S. did not offer Turkey anything to drop its objections. The president did not respond to a question later in the day about the possible sale of F-16 jets.

In an interview at the NATO summit, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., noted that there were "issues between Sweden, Finland and Turkey" that were "apparently" resolved.

"But it took the other members like the United States to be at the table to talk about other issues on Turkey's mind to finally close the deal," Durbin said.

Durbin said that if a deal was struck because the U.S. agreed to sell Turkey fighter jets he would support the sale.

"I think that the accession of Finland and Sweden changes the calculus of NATO protection. And Putin could not have imagined that NATO would be even stronger

He said of the potential fighter jet sale: "If that's what it took to close the deal, then I certainly support it. I think that the accession of Finland and Sweden changes the calculus of the NATO protection, and Putin could not have imagined that NATO would be even stronger after his invasion."

NATO invites Montenegro to join alliance

Kim Hjelmgaard

USA TODAY

NATO formally invited the tiny Adriatic nation of Montenegro on Wednesday to become the 29th member of the military alliance in a move that could draw rebuke from Russia.

Jens Stoltenberg, the Norwegian head of NATO, described the invitation as a "historic achievement."

It is the group's first expansion in six years. Montenegro's fellow Balkan countries Albania and Croatia were admitted in 2009.

"Our decision reflects the reforms implemented by Montenegro, and the commitment it has shown to our common values and to international security," NATO said.

Russia has said that it opposes Montenegro joining NATO because it sees any expansion of the alliance into ex-Communist territory in eastern Europe as a threat to its interests and stability in the region.

The country is also a favored investment site for some Russians.

Dmitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, told reporters in Moscow that Russia will be looking at possible retaliatory measures.

Although Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, struck a more conciliatory tone, saying Russia would be "listen to what out NATO counterparts have to say." He made the comments in reaction to Stoltenberg saying that he wants to revive the NATO-Russia Council that that has been suspended since Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region. The council is a forum for NATO members and Russia to discuss their political differences.

Ukraine also has ambitions to join NATO but that aspiration has been complicated by its ongoing conflict with Russia there despite a ceasefire agreement.

Montenegro's accession process is expected to last about a year.

It has a small army of about 2,000 armed personnel, according to the Balkan Insight, a website for information and news about the region.

In a recent report released by Montenegro's defense ministry, the country with a population of about 621,000 also needs more young officers. The average age of an officer from Montenegro is 39 compared to 29 for most NATO countries.

Montenegro Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic said the nation "was entering the exclusive circle of states which are synonymous with the highest values of modern civilization.”

NATO made the announcement about expanding the military alliance after a two-day meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels where members also said they were ready to do more to combat Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq.

“There are a number of things countries can do,” Secretary of State John Kerry said in Brussels, without unveiling any specific plans. He nevertheless urged the alliance to broaden cooperation to help in the fight against the extremist organization.