According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ukraine deserves to be a member of NATO. He made this statement during his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before the upcoming NATO summit in Lithuania. This move shows Turkey’s support for Ukraine and its desire for a closer relationship. The photo accompanying this article is courtesy of the Turkish Presidency.
July 9 (UPI) — Erdogan’s statement highlights the belief that Ukraine’s membership in NATO is justified. He expressed this sentiment in accordance with a news release from the Turkish Presidency, stating, “Undoubtedly, Ukraine deserves the NATO membership.” (source)
As a member of NATO since 1952, Turkey has the second-largest military in the alliance. Over the years, Turkey has played an increasingly important role as a bridge between the East and the West, solidifying its position within NATO.
The Vilnius summit is expected to address Ukraine’s bid to join NATO, despite the ongoing conflict with Russia. Sweden has also submitted an application for membership, which has faced opposition from Turkey. Membership in NATO requires a unanimous vote from all 31 member countries, including new addition Finland.
The question of Ukraine’s NATO membership remains unanswered due to the potential implications of an open war with Russia. Eastern European allies of Ukraine have expressed their hopes for a clear path to membership, but they believe it should happen after the resolution of the conflict.
In the meantime, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has expressed support for the creation of a Ukraine-NATO Defense Council. This council would allow NATO to provide more aid to Ukraine until it can become a full member. The decision to pursue NATO membership for Ukraine was made before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.
The 1994 Budapest Memorandum saw Russia, the United States, and Britain committing to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty if the country relinquished its inherited Soviet nuclear weapons. In 2008, NATO promised Ukraine full membership, which has been viewed as a threat by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Since Russia illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, the two countries have been locked in ongoing disputes and conflicts.
Although Ukraine is already a NATO partner, it does not benefit from collective defense agreements. The proposed Ukraine-NATO Defense Council aims to bridge this gap and enable NATO to provide support to Ukraine without full membership.
Last December, Russia submitted documents demanding NATO deny membership to former Soviet countries, including Ukraine, and reduce military forces in Central and Eastern European countries. Erdogan’s strong statement in support of Ukraine is significant, considering Turkey’s role as a mediator between Kyiv and Moscow.
In addition to expressing support for Ukraine’s NATO membership, Erdogan emphasized the importance of resolving issues such as prisoner exchanges. He also mentioned that Turkish companies would contribute to Ukraine’s reconstruction once the war is over. Zelensky recently returned to Ukraine from Turkey accompanied by five Ukrainian commanders who defended a steel plant in Mariupol during the conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, criticized Turkey for violating the agreement between Ukraine and Russia, which guaranteed that the Ukrainian fighters would remain in Turkey until the end of the war. Some pro-war Russian bloggers, such as the popular Rybar account on Telegram, also questioned Russia’s decision to allow prisoners of war to stay in a third country that is not sympathetic to Russia.
