NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reiterates support for Ukraine and Georgia over their disputes with Russia and maintains they are both on track for full membership
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On the second day of the NATO summit in Brussels, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reaffirmed the alliance's support for Georgia and Ukraine. The two former Soviet republics are not members of NATO but contribute troops to Afghanistan and aspire to full membership. Stoltenberg made it clear that that is something that he would also like to see happen
"Georgia will become a member of NATO....we are impressed by the progress you are making on reforms and encourage you to continue."
Also at the summit was Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. NATO is encouraging the country to continue reforms to meet the criteria for joining, and the alliance has backed Ukraine over Russia's annexation of Crimea
"NATO is firm in our support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and we strongly condemn Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea," said Stoltenberg.
Ukraine and Georgia were invited to the summit for further discussions on their progress towards full membership. The talks may make for a welcome diversion from the transatlantic tensions over NATO spending.