Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested that the United States and other NATO members are reluctant to accept Ukraine into the alliance, NBC News reports.
These comments come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepares to present his victory plan to the White House this week. Zelenskyy’s proposal reportedly includes a call for fast action and a security guarantee of NATO membership.
In an interview on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Erdogan said, “These are not questions to be rushed,” referring to Ukraine’s proposal for NATO membership.
According to Erdogan, the US and other Western alliance members “don’t want Ukraine to be a member state.”
Erdogan’s stance on Ukraine’s NATO membership bid follows his previous objections to Sweden and Finland joining the alliance. The Turkish leader had initially threatened to veto their applications, citing concerns over Kurdish rebel groups and arms restrictions. However, Türkiye eventually ratified both countries for membership.
In the interview, the Turkish president also discussed his country’s expanding relations with Russia. “Our relations with Russia are multidimensional, political, economic, cultural, and defense industry-related,” Erdogan said.
“There are many dimensions there, and our solidarity and our interaction have been going on, and economically every day, these relations are expanding.”
Erdogan’s comments on Russia and his acceptance of an invitation to attend the BRICS conference in Russia next month have drawn criticism from some quarters.
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