“We are going to follow the developments, the deliberations, and reach a final decision accordingly,” the Turkish president said in an exclusive interview.
Ukraine’s proposal for NATO membership is not a question “to be rushed,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told NBC News in an exclusive interview Tuesday, adding that relations between his country and Russia were “expanding.”
Speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Erdoğan said that the U.S. and other members of the Western alliance “don’t want Ukraine to be a member state.”
“These are not questions to be rushed,” he said. “And when making our minds, when we are taking our decisions, we always take into consideration the stance of other NATO member states, we discuss those possible questions around the table and make the final decision accordingly.”
His comments will likely prove disappointing for his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is set to present his victory plan to the White House this week.
While the specifics of Zelenskyy’s proposal have been closely guarded until it can be presented to President Joe Biden, some of the basic details have emerged including the need for fast action and, crucially, a security guarantee of NATO membership, according to Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andrii Yermak.
In a Telegram post late Tuesday, Zelenskyy said he had “discussed the implementation of the peace formula” with Erdoğan.
But the Turkish leader appeared to dash any hopes of a fast-track to NATO membership in his interview with NBC News.
nbcnews.com