TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan support Ukraine’s desire to join the North Atlantic Alliance Pact or NATO. During a meeting with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr ZelenskyErdogan pushed back on peace efforts to end Russia’s war.
“There is no doubt that Ukraine deserves to become a member of NATO,” Erdogan said at a joint press conference with the Ukrainian president in Istanbul on Saturday morning, July 8, 2023. He added that the two sides must return to peace talks. “A fair peace will not make losers,” the Turkish leader said, according to the Reuters news agency.
Zelensky thanked Erdogan for his support. Erdogan’s remarks came ahead of a Nato summit that will start Tuesday in Vilnius, Lithuania. “I am grateful for the support of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. peace formula. Protection of our country, our people and our interests,” the Ukrainian leader wrote in a tweet regarding his talks with Erdogan.
Zelensky has lobbied for Ukraine, which is at war with Russia, to be accepted into NATO. He argued that Ukraine had become Europe’s last line of defense against Russian aggression.
This week, Zelenskyy visited the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Bulgaria to rally support for Ukraine’s NATO membership bid ahead of a July 11-12 military alliance summit. In Prague, he secured support for Ukraine joining NATO “as soon as the war is over.” At Sofia, he found support for membership as soon as conditions allowed.
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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also reiterated that Ukraine would become a member. However, the deadline for Ukraine’s membership remains unclear.
On Friday, the United States dampened hopes of Ukraine joining the alliance soon. The US has said that this week’s summit will not result in an invitation to NATO membership.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the Vilnius summit “will be a watershed moment on the pathway to membership.” But Ukraine has further steps that need to be taken before becoming a member of NATO.
NATO countries debate when and how Ukraine can become a member and under what circumstances. Member states such as Germany insisted that certain conditions must be met, including that the military be under civilian and democratic control.
It remains unclear what Ukraine will offer at the summit in the Lithuanian capital. Zelensky has acknowledged that Kyiv is unlikely to join NATO while at war with Russia.
REUTERS
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