ANKARA — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday declared his support for Ukraine’s efforts to join NATO once the war is over.
Speaking at a joint presser with his Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Istanbul late on Friday, Erdogan lended support to the Ukrainian push to enter the Transatlantic alliance. “Ukraine deserves to be a NATO member,” he said.
The support comes amid Zelenskyy’s fresh push on a European tour for his country’s admission NATO once the war ends. Speaking in the Czech Republic earlier Friday, Zelenskyy said issuance of an invitation for his country from NATO during the alliance’s upcoming summit in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 11-12 would be “ideal.”
Zelenskyy, who traveled to Turkey for the first time since the war began in February of last year, was welcomed by senior Turkish officials as well as Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of Baykar, which manufactures Bayraktar armed drones that turned to be an important asset in the Kyiv’s defense strategy against Russia. He later met with Erdogan at an historical Istanbul palace.
Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of Baykar & the manufacturer of Bayraktar TB2 UAVs, which play an active role in Ukraine’s defense against Russia, was also present at the reception. pic.twitter.com/OYHlL7mT5t
— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 7, 2023
The Erdogan-Zelenskyy meeting stretched over two and half hours, and the two leaders discussed a wide array of issues including a potential prisoner swap with Russia, security of Black Sea and extension of the Black Sea grain deal, the Ukrainian president said, as he thanked Erdogan for his country’s support to Ukraine.
Calling for alternative solutions in the Black Sea to carry the Ukrainian grain and other products, the grain deal’s fate “should not be dependent” on Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s mood, Zelenskyy said. The visit comes as the July 17 deadline on extending the deal looms.
Russia and Ukraine signed separate deals with Turkey and the United Nations to allow their grain and other products to reach world markets via Black Sea. However, Moscow is dragging its feet to extend the deal on the grounds that obstacles before Russian exports remain intact.
Speaking ahead of the Erdogan-Zelenskyy talks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would also closely watch the outcome of the meeting in Istanbul.
Putin to visit Turkey in August
Pledging that Turkey would continue its efforts to extend the deal and to strike a prisoner swap between the two warring countries, Erdogan expressed his hope for the extension of the grain deal.
He added that the Russian leader Vladimir Putin was expected to visit his country in August and that he would discuss these issues during a face-to-face meeting with the Russian president.
Erdogan also said his country was in discussions with the Russian side over a potential prisoner swap between the warring countries.
The two countries also signed a cooperation deal in the technology field as part of the visit.
