Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ukraine “undoubtedly deserves” to join NATO. He said this after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul. Kyiv has strongly pushed for a swift decision on joining NATO, although the alliance generally does not allow a country with an ongoing territorial dispute. Next week, NATO will meet for a summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
However, US President Joe Biden said on Friday that membership in the Western military alliance for Ukraine is very unlikely in the near term. “I don’t think there is a consensus within NATO on whether or not Ukraine should be included in the NATO family, right now, in the middle of a war,” Biden told CNN. Earlier Friday, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan had already indicated that Ukraine must implement the necessary internal reforms before it can be considered for NATO membership.
Erdogan maintains good relations with both Ukraine and Russia. The Turkish president was the initiator of last summer’s agreement under which Ukrainian ports and the Black Sea can be used for the export of mainly Ukrainian agricultural products such as grain, despite the turmoil. After the meeting with Zelensky, Erdogan said he hopes the deal, which expires on July 17, will be extended soon.
Erdogan also said that Ukraine and Russia should “return to the negotiating table.” The Turkish president has been trying to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow since the Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. That almost led to an agreement and an end to the fighting last year.
Erdogan also announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Turkey “in August”. (AP)
AFP – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) during a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Friday.
2023-07-07 22:52:00
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