During a meeting held in Brussels, NATO defense ministers faced challenges in reaching an agreement on the alliance’s first defense plans since the Cold War ended, according to two officials who spoke to Reuters on Friday.
Although regional plans were not officially endorsed during the meeting, a senior US official expressed anticipation that these plans would be included as part of a series of outcomes at the Vilnius Summit in July.
A NATO diplomat revealed that Turkey had hindered the decision due to disagreements over the wording of geographical locations, particularly concerning Cyprus.
However, the diplomat emphasised that there remains an opportunity to find a resolution before the NATO summit scheduled for mid-July in Vilnius. The ongoing discussions and negotiations aim to address the differences and achieve consensus among member states regarding the defense plans.