Türkiye urges realism on Ukraine’s NATO bid, cites security concerns

"We wouldn't mind if they want to be a NATO member, but we have to be very realistic because we openly stated that we are in favor of Ukraine to be a NATO member. This was the statement from our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, so this is our official position," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.

When asked if a change in the US administration is influencing Washington's stance on Ukraine's NATO membership, Fidan remarked, “I am not sure if the previous administration was also in favor of Ukraine joining NATO. So, I think there is no new policy on this."

He pointed out that ongoing discussions about Ukraine’s NATO ambitions continue between Türkiye, European partners, and Ukrainian officials.

"We have to understand one very fact. 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," Türkiye’s foreign minister stressed.

"I think now the security guarantee for not seeing the war re-emerging is one of the primary questions that we are discussing in the negotiations," Fidan said.

"So, the Ukrainians, one of the ways that they want to see, is NATO membership, if not creating a big international coalition to deploy alongside the contact lines, or the Russians might have different ideas for guarantee and security guarantees," he added.