Sawt Falasteen - Ukraine war set to dominate crucial NATO summit

Four months after Russia invaded Ukraine, upending the European security landscape, more than 40 leaders will gather for what NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg called a "pivotal summit" for the alliance's future.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to participate and will speak twice via videolink, as Kyiv pushes for accelerated weapons deliveries from its allies.

NATO countries, which have already committed billions of dollars in military assistance to Kyiv, will agree a "comprehensive assistance package to Ukraine, to help them uphold the right for self-defence", said Stoltenberg.

"It is extremely important that we are ready to continue to provide support because Ukraine now faces brutality which we haven't seen in Europe since the Second World War."

At the end of a G7 summit in Germany, French President Emmanuel Macron urged NATO allies to show they were united.

"The message that should come out of Madrid is a message of unity and strength for member countries, as well as for those that wish to join and whose applications we are supporting," he said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will urge his NATO allies to boost their defence spending in response to Russia's invasion "to restore deterrence and ensure defence in the decade ahead", his office said.

- Turkey drops opposition -

Beyond Ukraine, the summit will see a revamp of NATO's strategic concept -- which outlines its main security tasks, but has not been revised since 2010 -- to mention challenges posed by China for the first time.

Finland and Sweden will be invited to join the alliance at the summit after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday lifted his opposition following crunch talks with the leaders of the two Nordic countries in Madrid.

Erdogan had stubbornly refused to back the applications from the Nordic pair -- lodged in response to Russia's war on Ukraine -- despite pressure for a change of course from his NATO allies.

But Erdogan's office said it had agreed to support them as Ankara had "got what it wanted".

Ankara had accused Finland, and especially Sweden, of offering a safe haven to Kurdish militants who have been waging decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.

US President Joe Biden congratulated Turkey, Finland and Sweden on reaching an agreement.

"As we begin this historic NATO summit in Madrid, our alliance is stronger, more united and more resolute than ever," he said in a statement.

But it will still take months for Finland and Sweden to officially join NATO, as their entry into the alliance needs to be ratified by the parliaments of the 30 member states.

- 'Stop Russian terror' -

The summit comes as war rages across Ukraine, particularly in the eastern Donbas region where Moscow has been focusing its offensive after failing to capture Kyiv in the conflict's early days.

There was global outrage Monday after a missile strike on a shopping mall in the central city of Kremenchuk killed at least 18 people and injured dozens.

Russia claims its missile salvo was aimed at an arms depot. But AFP talked to civilians in Kremenchuk, and none of them knew of any weapons store in the neighbourhood.

"Everything burned, really everything, like a spark to a touchpaper. I heard people screaming. It was horror," witness Polina Puchintseva said.

All that was left of the mall was charred debris, chunks of blackened walls and lettering from a smashed storefront.

"Only total insane terrorists, who should have no place on Earth, can strike missiles at civilian objects," said Zelensky on his social media channels.

"Russia must be recognised as a state sponsor of terrorism. The world can and therefore must stop Russian terror," he added.

Addressing the UN Security Council Tuesday, Zelensky called for the United Nations to visit the site so they can independently assess whether the destruction was caused by a Russian missile strike.

But the Kremlin was unfazed, insisting that Ukrainian forces had to surrender to end the fighting.

"The Ukrainian side can stop everything before the end of today," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"An order for the nationalist units to lay down their arms is necessary," he said, adding Kyiv had to fulfil a list of Moscow's demands.

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B.Mahmoud--SF-PST