Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced plans to meet next month as Turkey threatens to block NATO membership for Sweden and Finland.
Following a meeting between the two leaders in Tehran on July 19, the Turkish president announced that he would be meeting the Russian leader again in Sochi, Russia, on Aug. 5, according to Reuters.
Erdogan has positioned himself as a mediator in the Russo-Ukrainian War because his country is on good terms with Kyiv and Moscow. He helped to create a recent deal allowing for much-needed Ukrainian grain shipments to leave Odesa harbor, previously blocked by both Ukrainian naval mines and a Russian blockade. Turkey is using the war to increase its influence by establishing itself as a vital stakeholder in maintaining a wider balance of power, according to Iliya Kusa of the Wilson Center.
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Turkey is proving to be the principal roadblock to the expansion of NATO, of which it is a member, with the inclusion of Sweden and Finland, according to the New York Times. To accept a new member, unanimous consent is needed, but Turkey has voiced reservations over the Nordic countries’ views on Kurdish separatists. Despite greenlighting the accession last month, Erdogan hinted at reversing his position last week.
“I would like to remind once again that if these countries do not take the necessary steps to fulfill our conditions, we will freeze the (accession) process. Our stance on this issue is very clear. The rest is up to them,” the Turkish president said, according to the Associated Press.
There are hints that he could go through with this threat because in recent days, Turkey reportedly summoned Sweden’s charges d’affaires over allowing what it called “terrorist propaganda” at a Kurdish protest in Stockholm, according to Reuters.
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It was not revealed if Turkey discussed the Nordic countries’ bid to join NATO in the Tehran summit with Russia and Iran on July 19 or if the topic is planned for discussion on Aug. 5.
