Jens Stoltenberg says that Nato wants to have 300,000 troops at high readiness.

"We need to invest more in defence. Our latest estimate showed that the defence expenditure by European allies and Canada will increase by 8.2 percent in 2023. This is the biggest increase in decades."

The head of Nato also said that 11 allies have reached or exceeded the 2 percent benchmark and the alliance expects this number will substantially rise next year.

"Today allies made an enduring commitment to invest at least 2 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually in defence," he adds.

Stoltenberg continues, reaffirming previous remarks that Ukraine will become a member of Nato when allies agree and conditions are met.

He also announces that Ukraine's membership pathway will be changed from a two-step process to a one-step process.

"This is a strong package for Ukraine and a clear path towards its membership in Nato," he says.

We are now hearing from Nato General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg.

He starts his address saying he is looking forward to welcoming Sweden as a full member of the alliance.

Stoltenberg also announces a new multi-year assistance programme to help Ukraine transition from Soviet-era to Nato standard training standards.

He adds a new Nato-Ukraine council will be formed, where they will "meet as equals". The inaugural meeting will be tomorrow with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Image source, EPA

While we wait for the press conference with Jens Stoltenberg, let's look at an interview between our Europe editor Katya Adler and Estonia's prime minister.

Kaja Kallas said Nato membership is the "only security guarantee that really works" when asked about Ukraine potentially joining the alliance.

She said: "So we have to agree on a clear pathway to membership, what conditions have to be met, so that when the opportunity window opens, we are ready."

Speaking on the lack of support by some allies for Ukraine joining, she said it was important to understand their worries but "we are very close to compromise" that will "give a clear signal Ukraine's future is in Nato".

Kallas adds Ukraine's experience of fighting Russians makes Nato stronger.

We're expecting to hear from the head of Nato, Jens Stoltenberg, shortly.

Ukraine's membership bid has dominated the conversation today, as well as possible security assurances Nato can offer in the interim.

Earlier, Stoltenberg said Ukraine was much "closer" to Nato than it was in 2008 - when the alliance first agreed that Kyiv "will" become a member some day.

"So I think the time has come to reflect that in Nato decisions," he said.

We're not sure how that might look yet. But stick with us as we bring you the key lines.

Image source, EPA

Ukraine is top of the agenda at the Nato summit, and Germany has just pledged another €700m (£596m) in military aid to the country.

Arriving at the Nato summit, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said the new package would include two Patriot missile system launches, 25 Leopard 1 A5 tanks, 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, 20,000 artillery arounds as well as 5,000 rounds of smoke ammunition.

Pistorius said these deliveries "served Ukraine's priorities: air defence, tanks, artillery".

During the first few months of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Germany was reluctant to send weaponry to Kyiv, fearing this would lead to a direct conflict with a nuclear-armed Russia.

But Berlin later dramatically changed its stance, becoming Ukraine's second biggest arms supplier after the US.

Image source, Getty Images

Just before this summit started, Turkey dropped its opposition to Sweden's bid to join Nato, paving the way for the Nordic country to become the 32nd member of the military alliance.

Now, the Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson has told the BBC they have convinced Turkey that they are committed to fighting terrorism in cooperation with the country for the long term.

When asked what made Turkey change its mind, he said "the whole package."

Speaking to Razia Iqbal on Newshour on the World Service, Kristersson said: "We are not doing this simply because we want to become Nato members, but also because we want to stick to it after becoming members so this is a very long term commitment."

Kristersson said that Sweden long had problems with Kurdish militant activities "perhaps financing terrorism that has been directed towards Turkey".

He talked about the demonstrations of pro-Kurdish groups and Quran burnings, calling some of them "things that are awful but still lawful".

"I've told Erdogan that everything being done and said in Sweden is not at all approved by the Swedish government in any way."

On Turkey's request for reform in the customs union and to visa regulation, Kristersson said that Sweden would promote a closer cooperation between Turkey and the EU.

Image source, Reuters

Proceedings in Vilnius are picking up pace now - but looming large over today's events is the question of Ukraine's membership hopes.

The military alliance's latest northward expansion is also a hot topic, with Turkey ratifying Sweden's bid for Nato membership.

Let’s bring you up to speed with the latest:

• Nato leaders appear to be discussing broad terms for Ukraine joining - while making clear they won’t give Kyiv any timeline for membership
• President Zelensky issued an impassioned statement over what he sees as "absurd" delays to Kyiv's accession - he arrived in Vilnius a short while ago
• The Kremlin said Nato was making a mistake by pushing its borders further towards Russia's
• Lithuania's president said he was hopeful Ukraine would be offered a clear message on its Nato bid, and Rishi Sunak said Ukraine's "rightful place" is in Nato
• France announced it would supply Ukraine with long-range missiles
• The UK PM also "commended" Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan for "his efforts" to support Sweden during today's summit

There's plenty still to come this afternoon - so stick with us.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has landed in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius as Nato leaders discuss the nation's bid for membership.

Image source, Getty Images

After the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s meeting with Turkey's President Erdogan, a spokesperson for Sunak said: "The prime minister welcomed Turkey's support for Sweden's accession to Nato and commended President Erdogan for his efforts."

According to the spokesperson, the pair talked about building a stronger defence and security cooperation.

James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent in Vilnius

It won’t get a formal invitation to join Nato. That would plunge the alliance into open conflict with Russia, as it is obliged to consider an attack on one member as an attack on all.

The United States has also made clear it won’t give Ukraine any timeline for membership.

The US – and some other allies – believe a promise of near automatic membership after the war would give Russia a perverse incentive to drag out the fighting. Some allies also want Ukraine’s Nato membership to be part of a post-war bargaining chip.

So at the moment, Nato diplomats appear to be discussing language that would invite Ukraine to join when allies agree and when conditions are met. This rather broad and unspecific language is what appears to have sparked President Zelensky’s anger.

So unless that wording changes over the next 24 hours, he is unlikely to be satisfied with separate promises of new security guarantees and longer term military support.

The challenge for Nato is to decide what matters most: summit unity or strategic caution.

Image source, MBDA

France will supply Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles, President Emmanuel Macron has announced.

After arriving at the Nato's summit in Vilnius, he said Paris would send Kyiv Scalp missiles to strike targets deep behind Russian lines as Ukraine continues its counter-offensive in the east and south of the country.

The Scalp - already being supplied by the UK to Ukraine under the name Storm Shadow - has a range of up to 250km (155 miles).

Russia was quick to condemn the French move, describing it as "erroneous".

"This will force us to take countermeasures," warned President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

As is traditional at these events, Nato leaders all stood together to take a so-called family photo.

We didn't manage to get ourselves a body language interpreter for the occasion - we'll leave all that fun to you:

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

Nato walks diplomatic tightrope on Ukraine membershippublished at 13:07 British Summer Time 11 July 2023

13:07 BST 11 July 2023

Katya Adler
Europe editor in Vilnius

Image source, EPA

Nato countries are walking a dizzying tightrope at this summit.

All the leaders here sympathise with Ukraine’s demand for a firm timetable for Nato membership. They understand Zelensky’s deep desire to be shielded by the alliance’s all-for-one-and-one-for-all mutual defence clause - but the debate is a complex one here.

If Ukraine was admitted into Nato during a ceasefire with Russia – would that ceasefire hold?

If not, would France, Germany, the UK and other Nato nations willingly put their soldiers’ lives on the line in Ukraine, coming into direct conflict with nuclear power Russia, with the risk of the war escalating? This is something Nato has desperately tried to avoid from the start.

Some Nato countries also worry aloud if Russia knows a ceasefire with Ukraine will definitely mean Kyiv being admitted into Nato, Moscow could be tempted to prolong its aggression even further. Nato diplomats agonised over the wording of a text on Ukraine membership in the lead-up to the summit, hoping to sound inviting and confident but not specific on timing.

It will come as no surprise if that doesn’t change during the summit, Ukraine will be disappointed and – with Moscow watching events closely – the alliance risks damaging that firm show of Western unity it so wants to present to Vladimir Putin.

Image source, Reuters

Ukraine's potential membership of Nato is the key topic at this summit.

The alliance said in 2008 that Ukraine could join at a future date, but recently declined its request for "fast-track" membership.

The sticking point comes in article 5 of Nato's charter, which says that if one member is attacked, all others should come to its defence.

Were Ukraine to join now, Nato countries would technically have to declare war on Russia.

Kyiv has conceded it can't join during the conflict, but wants to join as soon as possible afterwards.

Read more here.

Ben Wright
Political correspondent in Vilnius

I'm currently waiting to be taken to the Nato summit press centre and have just spotted some canny messaging from the Lithuanian hosts:

After Zelensky's fiery statement, let's look why there is friction over Ukraine joining Nato.

Firstly, Kyiv accepts it can not join while it's at war, because Nato countries must defend each other.

But Nato allies are at loggerheads about Ukraine's membership when the Russian invasion ends.

Nato previously agreed - in 2008 - that Ukraine "will" become a member at some point.

The UK wants it to be fast-tracked, and the Baltic states and eastern European nations want the alliance to make clear what further conditions Ukraine needs to meet.

But some allies, including the US and Germany, are more cautious. They want Kyiv to tackle corruption, strengthen the judiciary, and ensure civilian control over military first.

They're also worried it could lead to Nato being dragged into the war.

Read more detail here.

Image source, EPA

Let's get a little more now on President Zelensky's strongly-worded statement.

He says, without a timeframe on Ukraine being invited to join Nato, "a window of opportunity is being left to bargain Ukraine's membership in Nato in negotiations with Russia".

"And for Russia, this means motivation to continue its terror."

Kyiv has conceded that Ukraine wouldn't be able to join Nato while the war with Russia is ongoing - but it is pushing for a clear timeline.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has hit out at Nato, saying it's "absurd" that a timeframe is not being set for Ukraine to be invited to join the military alliance.

"It’s unprecedented and absurd when timeframe is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine's membership," he wrote in a strongly-worded statement on Twitter, external.

"It seems there is no readiness neither to invite Ukraine to Nato nor to make it a member of the alliance."

Nato agreed in 2008 that Ukraine "will" become a member. But the alliance did not say how and when this might happen.

"Now, on the way to Vilnius, we received signals that certain wording is being discussed without Ukraine," he adds.

He emphasises that this wording is about "the invitation to become Nato member, not about Ukraine's membership".

"Uncertainty is weakness. And I will openly discuss this at the summit," he says.

We've just had these photos of leaders arriving for the two-day Nato summit. We'll be honest, there are quite a few pictures of hand-shaking - but don't worry, we've spared you those.

Here are the best pictures - oh, and the colour scheme? Blue, very much blue.

Image source, EPA

Image source, EPA

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

Image source, Reuters