Sweden is set to become the newest member of the NATO alliance as leaders of the organization meet in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dropped his objection to Sweden joining NATO, paving the way to make it the 32nd member nation.
Erdogan committed to putting the Nordic country’s accession protocol before Parliament “as soon as possible,” the head of NATO said.
“This is an historic day because we have a clear commitment by Turkey to submit the ratification documents to the Grand National Assembly, and to work also with the assembly to ensure ratification,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters.
Sweden’s NATO accession has been held up by objections from Turkey since last year. The Turkish parliament’s ratification of the accession protocol is one of the last steps in the process. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, another holdout over Sweden’s membership, is expected to take a similar step.
Erdogan is seeking support for his bid to see Turkey included in the European Union. Sweden has agreed to help Turkey complete its process of joining the EU which has been on hold since 2018.
In the wake of his decision, Erdogan is meeting face-to-face with President Joe Biden Tuesday evening. Biden had made it clear he wants to see Sweden join NATO as soon as possible.
In a statement, Biden welcomed the agreement and said he will work with Turkey “on enhancing defense and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic area. I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Kristersson and Sweden as our 32nd NATO Ally.”
Finland joined NATO in April, becoming the 31st member of the defense agreement.
The Biden administration has backed Turkey’s request to purchase 40 new F-16s as well as modernization kits from the U.S. But the sale has been challenged by some congressional lawmakers, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (D-NJ).
Speaking to reporters in Washington, Menendez said he was “continuing to have my reservations” on providing the fighter aircraft to Turkey. If the Biden administration could show that Turkey wouldn’t use the F-16s belligerently against other NATO members, particularly it’s neighbor Greece, and meet other conditions, “then there may be a way forward,” the New Jersey senator said.
Zelenskyy Angry About NATO’s Lack of Timetable for Ukraine Membership
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday blasted as “absurd” the absence of a timetable for his country’s membership in NATO. A draft proposal on Ukraine’s potential membership has reportedly been written but has not been publicly released.
In a lengthy Twitter post, Zelenskyy wrote that he was not satisfied.
“We value our allies. We value our shared security. And we always appreciate an open conversation. Ukraine will be represented at the NATO summit in Vilnius. Because it is about respect,” he wrote. “But Ukraine also deserves respect. Now, on the way to Vilnius, we received signals that certain wording is being discussed without Ukraine.”
“It’s unprecedented and absurd when time frame is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine’s membership,” Zelenskyy said. He finished with, “Uncertainty is weakness. And I will openly discuss this at the summit.”
We value our allies. We value our shared security. And we always appreciate an open conversation.
Ukraine will be represented at the NATO summit in Vilnius. Because it is about respect.But Ukraine also deserves respect. Now, on the way to Vilnius, we received signals that…
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 11, 2023
There have been sharp divisions within the alliance over Ukraine’s desire to join NATO, which was promised back in 2008, but has not been realized.
The Ukrainian president is expected to meet with Biden and other NATO leaders on Wednesday.
However, the U.S. and Germany are urging caution. Biden said last week that Ukraine wasn’t ready to join. Members of NATO, he told CNN, need to “meet all the qualifications, from democratization to a whole range of other issues,” a nod toward longstanding concerns about governance and corruption in Kyiv.
In addition, some fear that bringing Ukraine into NATO would serve more as a provocation to Russia than as a deterrence against aggression.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that NATO’s expansion is “one of the reasons that led to the current situation.”
“It looks like the Europeans don’t understand their mistake,” Peskov said. He warned against putting Ukraine on a fast track for NATO membership.
“Potentially it’s very dangerous for the European security, it carries very big risks,” Peskov said.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has now been going on for almost 17 months. In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin told a meeting with Russian military correspondents and war bloggers that ending the hostilities in Ukraine depends on the United States. He argued that the fighting would end immediately if the U.S. and NATO stop providing Ukraine with weapons.
“If they want to see a negotiated solution to the conflict, it’s enough for them to stop weapons supplies,” he said.
Nearly 50,000 Russian soldiers have died in the war with Ukraine, according to two independent Russian media outlets, the Associated Press reported Monday.
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