Istanbul –
President Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky managed to secure the support of the President Turki Recep Tayyip Erdogan which is important for Kyiv to join the alliance North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Erdogan himself called Ukraine “worthy” of becoming a member of NATO.
As reported AFPSaturday (8/7/2023), Zelensky’s visit to Turkey on Friday (7/7) and talks with Erdogan were intended to discuss Ukraine’s efforts to join NATO.
Zelensky also said in a Twitter statement that his meeting with Erdogan discussed the NATO summit to be held next week, security guarantees, and a grain export deal with Russia brokered by Turkey last year.
Erdogan is known to have sought to position himself as a neutral mediator, substantially increasing wartime trade with Russia while supplying drones and other weapons to Ukraine to help prevent Moscow forces from taking Kyiv in the early days of the invasion a year ago.
This week, Erdogan reiterated his long-standing call for Ukraine and Russia to enter into peace talks. But he also risked angering the President Vladimir Putin by providing unequivocal support for Ukraine joining NATO.
“There is no doubt that Ukraine deserves to become a member of NATO,” said Erdogan in a joint press conference with Zelensky on Friday (7/7) local time.
But Erdogan also called for Kyiv and Moscow to return to the negotiating table to end the ongoing war. “Both sides must return to peace talks,” he said.
Check out the full news on the next page.
Also watch ‘When Four People Die in the Aftermath of a Russian Missile Attack on a Ukrainian Apartment’:
(nvc/idh)
2023-07-08 03:22:46
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