shot-button
E-paper E-paper
Home > News > World News > Article > Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan backs Ukraines NATO bid

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan backs Ukraine’s NATO bid

Updated on: 09 July,2023 07:45 AM IST  |  Istanbul
Agencies |

NATO leaders to meet next week to reaffirm Erdogan’s promise to Zelenskyy; Turkey still holding off Sweden’s membership

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan backs Ukraine’s NATO bid

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after a joint press conference at the Vahdettin Mansion in Istanbul on Saturday. Pic/PTI

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed support early Saturday for Ukraine joining NATO, saying the war-torn country deserves to join the alliance. Erdogan made the comment at a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who arrived in Turkey as part of a European tour to rally support for Ukraine’s entry into the military alliance after the war with Russia comes to an end.


NATO leaders meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, next week are expected to reaffirm that Ukraine will join their alliance one day. “There is no doubt that Ukraine deserves NATO membership,” Erdogan told reporters. His support for Ukraine comes as Turkey has been holding off giving its final approval to Sweden joining NATO, saying Stockholm is not effectively cracking down on Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara views as threats to its security.


Sweden, along with Finland, abandoned its decades-long neutrality and applied to join NATO following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. Turkey’s parliament ratified Finland’s membership earlier this year, after Ankara voiced satisfaction with its efforts to address Turkey’s security concerns. Erdogan also said Turkey was working toward extending a Turkish and UN-brokered grain deal that has paved the way for the shipment of more than 30 million tons of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.


Russia has been reluctant to extend the deal, citing obstacles to its own exports of food and fertiliser. “We are continuing our work on the grain corridor issue. We are working to see how long we can extend it after July 17,” Erdogan said.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!

Register for FREE
to continue reading !

This is not a paywall.
However, your registration helps us understand your preferences better and enables us to provide insightful and credible journalism for all our readers.

Mid-Day Web Stories

Mid-Day Web Stories

This website uses cookie or similar technologies, to enhance your browsing experience and provide personalised recommendations. By continuing to use our website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. OK