Türkiye backs Ukraine’s NATO bid

Türkiye does not oppose Ukraine joining NATO, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.

“But we have to be very much realistic, because we openly stated that we are in favor of Ukraine to be a NATO member. This was the statement from our president, so this is our official position,” Fidan said.

Meanwhile, Washington has signaled opposition to Ukraine’s NATO accession. 

U.S. President Donald Trump on Feb. 26 said that Ukraine’s membership in the Alliance would be ruled out as part of a potential deal to end the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.

Fidan responded to this shift in the U.S. stance. 

“I am not sure if the previous [presidential] administration was also in favor of Ukraine joining NATO. So I think there is no new policy on this,” Turkiye’s foreign affairs minister said.

Discussions between Türkiye, European partners, and Kyiv officials on Ukraine’s NATO ambitions are ongoing, he added.

“Ukrainians are asking for NATO membership, just not for the sake of being a NATO member. It’s just to see a security guarantee for their own country,” Fidan said.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose country is also part of the Alliance, on Feb. 26 called NATO membership the most effective security guarantee for Ukraine.

“It is the best framework to ensure lasting peace – one that is neither fragile nor temporary – and to prevent Europe from once again sliding into the tragedy of war,” Meloni said.

Earlier, Fidan also said that Türkiye is ready to play a key role in the peace process regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The 32-nation member alliance is the world’s oldest and most successful defense entity that was founded in 1949 in the wake of World War II.