ISTANBUL — President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine visited Turkey on Friday to discuss Ukraine’s application for NATO membership and the extension of the Black Sea grain deal with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
During a televised news conference on Saturday, President Erdogan stated that “Ukraine deserves NATO membership with no doubt.”
Prior to the upcoming NATO summit, President Zelensky has also visited several other NATO nations in the hopes of gaining clarity on Ukraine’s bid to join the alliance.
The Ukrainian government sees NATO membership as the ultimate guarantee of its security, especially in light of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Ukraine applied to join the alliance in September.
President Biden, who will be attending the summit, stated in a CNN interview that Ukraine’s acceptance into NATO would likely have to wait until after the war. He explained that there is no unanimity within NATO regarding Ukraine’s membership during an ongoing conflict.
President Zelensky’s visit to Istanbul also focused on the Black Sea grain deal, which is facing an uncertain future. President Erdogan mentioned that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia is expected to visit Turkey in August, and efforts are being made to extend the grain deal for longer intervals.
Last year, Turkey and the United Nations brokered the deal to allow Ukrainian grain to be exported despite the Russian blockade in the Black Sea. Moscow has threatened to abandon the agreement, citing its impact on Russian exports, but last-minute extensions have kept the deal alive. The current extension, agreed upon in May, expires on July 17.
In a positive development for President Zelensky, the European Parliament and member states reached a provisional deal to allocate 500 million euros (almost $550 million) to enhance ammunition and missile production. This agreement is part of a plan proposed in March, and the bloc aims to have it approved by the end of the month.
President Zelensky has been actively engaging with NATO members this week. He visited Bulgaria and the Czech Republic on Thursday and Slovakia on Friday, where he met with President Zuzana Caputova.
2023-07-08 10:14:12
Post from www.nytimes.com
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