Ukraine live briefing: Finland and Turkey discuss NATO bid; Slovakia joins Poland in sending jets to Kyiv

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto is in Turkey for talks with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a visit that is expected to see Turkey finally announce plans to ratify Finland’s NATO membership bid. Finland requires Turkey’s approval to join the alliance, having announced its intention to join, along with Sweden, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. Erdogan is still expected to hold off on approving Sweden’s bid, and Sweden’s prime minister has said it is increasingly likely that Finland would join NATO first.