Turkiye decided Monday to allow Sweden to join NATO, paving the way for the allies to demonstrate their unity at a summit focused on defending Ukraine from Russia’s incursion.
The blockade of Sweden’s membership request by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had clouded preparations for Tuesday’s meeting, but the countries worked out their disagreements in 11th-hour negotiations in Vilnius.
“Completing Sweden’s accession to NATO is a historic step that benefits the security of all NATO allies at this critical time. It makes us all stronger and safer,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said he was “very happy” and hailed “a good day for Sweden”.Sweden’s application still needs to be accepted by the Turkish parliament, and Erdogan has agreed to campaign for it.
Hungary has yet to approve Stockholm’s request, but Prime Minister Viktor Orban has indicated that he will follow Erdogan’s lead.
US President Joe Biden, also in Vilnius for the summit, thanked Stoltenberg and said: “I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Kristersson and Sweden as our 32nd NATO ally.”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also welcomed the “good news” on Twitter.
Turkiye has stymied Sweden’s candidacy to join the Atlantic Alliance, accusing Stockholm of sheltering Kurdish activists whom Ankara considers terrorists.
On Monday, Erdogan raised the stakes even higher, demanding that the European Union relaunch Turkiye’s dormant EU membership campaign as a condition for Sweden joining NATO.
Sweden promised to enhance bilateral economic and anti-terrorism coordination in a statement issued following the three-way meetings between Erdogan, Kristersson, and Stoltenberg.
“Sweden will actively support efforts to reinvigorate Turkiye’s EU accession process, including modernization of the EU-Turkiye Customs Union and visa liberalization,” the statement said.
Erdogan reached this arrangement after pausing his negotiations with Stoltenberg and Kristersson to meet with EU boss Charles Michel, president of the European Council.
Michel hailed a “good meeting”, adding that they had “explored opportunities ahead to bring EU-Turkiye cooperation back to the forefront and re-energise our relations”.
Turkiye has been a formal applicant for membership in the European Union since 2005, and an aspirant for much longer, but talks have long been deadlocked with no evidence of progress.
However, Ankara and Brussels’ statements on Monday suggest that, in the absence of formal membership discussions, they may focus on increasing commerce, upgrading customs agreements, and relaxing visa requirements.
Members of the EU continue to be suspicious of Ankara’s commitment to democratic and rule-of-law reforms, with Germany’s Olaf Scholz insisting that Sweden and Turkiye’s objectives are unrelated.
Separately, Ukraine welcomed a step forward in its effort to ensure that it will be able to join NATO as a full member if and when the Russian invasion is defeated.
According to a Western official, the allies will no longer compel Kyiv to complete a “Membership Action Plan,” a kind of road map to military reform that certain friends have had to follow.
Ukraine’s foreign minister stated that this capitulation, which Moscow warned would have major ramifications for European security, would cut Kyiv’s route to NATO membership short.
“It is also the best moment to offer clarity on the invitation to Ukraine to become member,” Dmytro Kuleba tweeted.
“Ukraine deserves to be in the alliance. Not now, because now there’s war, but we need a clear signal and this signal is needed right now,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video message posted on Telegram. However, NATO leaders in Vilnius were divided on whether to provide Ukraine a direct path into the alliance.
While Eastern friends press Kyiv for a clear promise on when it can join, the US and Germany are hesitant to go beyond an earlier pledge that Ukraine will join one day.
Meanwhile, Ganna Malyar, Ukraine’s deputy defense minister, said Kiev’s troops had secured fire control over the “entrances, exits, and movement of the enemy around the city” of Bakhmut in the country’s east.
Russian bombardment on an aid hub in the southern Ukrainian town of Orikhiv killed seven people, according to rescue services on Monday.
