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The NATO-Ukraine Council, which was established to bring relations between NATO and Ukraine to a higher level, convened for the first time in its history.
The first meeting of the Council was held at the NATO Summit in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, at the level of heads of state and government.
Turkey was represented by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the leaders of 31 NATO countries as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took part in the meeting.
Zelenskiy, who was greeted with applause by NATO leaders, sat between President Erdoğan and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in the seating arrangement prepared according to the name order of the countries.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who chaired the meeting, emphasised in his opening speech that Ukraine stands side by side with its NATO allies as "equals" in the Council.
Reiterating NATO's support for Ukraine, Stoltenberg said, "We are inspired by your courage. We must continue our support to ensure that Ukraine liberates its territory and deter future Russian aggression."
Stoltenberg said, "Today we came together as equals. I look forward to the day when we will come together as allies."