Jens Stoltenberg

Chairman of Fidesz Party Viktor Orban (C) takes his oath as Prime Minister of Hungary after he was re-elected for his fourth consecutive term in the Hungarian Parliament in Budapest, Hungary, 16 May 2022. EPA-EFE/Tibor Illyes

Greece was among seven out of 30 allies to meet NATO's military spending target of 2% of GDP in 2022, one country less than in 2021 before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to the alliance's annual report for 2022. 

Speaking ahead of the launch, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg urged allies to boost defense investment more quickly.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on March 17 hailed Türkiye 's decision to push ahead with ratifying Finland's membership, and said Sweden should also be allowed to join "as soon as possible".

"The most important thing is that both Finland and Sweden become full members of NATO quickly, not whether they join at exactly the same time," Stoltenberg said.

Türkiye welcomes the steps taken by Finland and Sweden against the illegal PKK group, but they are not enough to ratify the Nordic countries' NATO bid, presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın said on March 9.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has approved the sending of "Leopard 2" tanks to Ukraine, adding that he will allow other countries to do the same, "Spiegel" reported.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg pointed out that the members of the Alliance should not only send defensive weapons but also those that will enable Kyiv to regain lost territories.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has approved the sending of "Leopard 2" tanks to Ukraine and says he will allow other countries to do the same, "Spiegel" reported.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg pointed out that the members of the Alliance should not only send defensive weapons and those that will enable Kyiv to regain lost territories.

Berlin was expected to announce a decision on Wednesday on the export of powerful German-made Leopard battle tanks long sought by Kiev, and encouraged allies to start training Ukrainian forces to use them.

Western nations have pledged ever-more sophisticated military hardware in recent weeks to help Ukraine repel Russia's invasion, with all eyes in Kiev on the battle tanks.

Turkey has cancelled indefinitely a trilateral mechanism meeting with Sweden and Finland scheduled for February after a weekend protest in Stockholm that drew condemnation from Ankara, state broadcaster TRT reported on Tuesday.

Poland has officially requested permission from Germany to transfer its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine where they can help fight Russia's invasion, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said Tuesday.

Berlin has received Warsaw's request, Błaszczak said in a tweet, though German officials did not immediately confirm that.

In his speech, he pointed out that the fighting in Ukraine slowed down not only because of the winter, but also because of Kyiv's lack of weapons.
He also noted that "fatigue" had set in and that "the war really slows down in the winter."