Summit Gets Underway Proper, Optimism After Turkey-Sweden/Finland Deal

The NATO Summit in Madrid, Spain is set to get underway proper today, with the first full leaders' meeting taking place later this morning. The public schedule for the rest of today's summit is below:

• 0945CET (0345ET, 0845BST) Arrival US President and warm words with the NATO Secretary General, 1030CET (0430ET, 0930BST) Public opening remarks by the NATO Secretary General and by the President of the Government of Spain, 1345CET (0745ET, 1245BST) NATO Secretary General's Press Conference, 1500CET (0900ET, 1400BST) Public opening remarks by the NATO Secretary General, 1745CET (1145ET, 1645BST) NATO Secretary General's Press Conference
• Livestream of all public events can be found here: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/events_67375.htm
• The deal announced last night that sees Turkey drop is objections to Finland and Sweden joining the bloc in exchange for restrictions for Kurdish groups in the Nordic nations that Turkey views as terrorist organisations, and an easing of the arms embargo from both nations on Turkey.
• Still a lengthy process required to get Sweden and Finland into the bloc (the parliaments of all 30 member states must approve their accession), but official invitation set to be offered in Madrid.
• Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the invitation to both Nordic nations sent “a very clear message to President Putin that NATO’s door is open...He wanted less NATO, now President Putin is getting more NATO, on his borders. So what he gets is the opposite of what he actually demanded.”