Turkish President Erdogan meets with European Council President Michel in Vilnius

The meeting took place at the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Centre (LITEXPO) and was closed to the media.

Erdogan is currently in Vilnius to participate in a NATO leaders' summit scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Prior to this meeting, he also had separate meetings with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

The summit, attended by the 31 leaders of the NATO member countries, aims to discuss various topics including the ongoing Ukraine war, Sweden's potential NATO membership, and measures to enhance the alliance's defense capabilities and deterrence.

It is unclear what was discussed during the meeting between President Erdogan and President Michel. However, the meeting is likely to have focused on the ongoing Ukraine war and Türkiye's potential veto of Sweden's NATO membership.

The NATO summit is expected to be dominated by the ongoing Ukraine war. The leaders are likely to discuss how to further support Ukraine, including with military and financial assistance. They are also likely to discuss ways to deter Russia from further aggression.

The summit is also expected to discuss Sweden's potential NATO membership. Türkiye has been blocking Sweden's membership bid, citing concerns about Sweden's support for the groups that Ankara considers to be terrorist organizations. It is unclear whether the leaders will be able to reach a resolution on this issue at the summit.

The summit is also expected to discuss measures to enhance NATO's defense capabilities and deterrence. The leaders are likely to discuss how to modernize NATO's forces and how to respond to the changing security landscape in Europe.

The summit is taking place at a critical time for NATO. The alliance is facing its biggest security challenge since the Cold War. The leaders are under pressure to find ways to deter Russia and to strengthen NATO's defenses. (ILKHA)