DAccording to the Kremlin, Sweden’s accession to NATO would have “negative consequences” for Russia’s security. Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov said on Tuesday. At the same time, he threatened that Russia would take “considered and planned” countermeasures, as happened in Finland in April.
Turkey announced on Monday evening that Sweden would give the green light to join the alliance. Asked about Ankara’s approval of Stockholm’s NATO entry, Peskov said Turkey “has its own obligations to NATO membership and respect.” Moscow “understands the situation very well”.
“We have our differences and we don’t hide them,” a Kremlin spokesman said. “But part of our relationship is in the interest of both our countries,” he said, adding that it was “important enough” for Russia and Turkey.
At a NATO summit in Lithuania, Peskov said the Kremlin was watching the meeting very closely. “This is undoubtedly a coalition summit with a strong anti-Russian character. Russia is seen as an adversary and an adversary, and it is in this context that the discussions will take place,” he said.
Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO last year in response to the war in Ukraine. After Finland joined NATO in April, Russia also announced “countermeasures”.
Erdogan drops opposition at NATO summit
On Monday evening, Turkey dropped its opposition to Sweden joining NATO. Thus Turkey has completed a U-turn. Not long ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan put a new hurdle in Sweden’s bid for NATO membership by calling for his country to move closer to the European Union.
According to the government in Ankara, Turkey has previously blocked Sweden’s accession to NATO because the country did not cooperate sufficiently in the fight against Kurdish militants. Hungary also did not support the membership application, but indicated that Turkey would agree if it changed its position. “Completing the ratification process is only a technical question,” Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szyjardo said on Facebook on Tuesday. Hungary’s position is clear: “The government supports Stockholm’s entry into the Atlantic alliance.”
It is still unclear when the Turkish parliament will approve Sweden’s accession to NATO on Tuesday. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday evening after a meeting with Erdogan and Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson. “It’s a good day for Sweden,” Kristerson said. His country has come a long way.
Stoltenberg, however, brushed off the question of when Sweden’s NATO accession would be complete. He reiterated that there was a clear commitment to send the ratification documents to Parliament. The next session of the Turkish Parliament was scheduled for Tuesday. Sweden will soon officially become NATO’s 32nd member if the Hungarian parliament also approves soon.
A deal with the US? Biden wants to supply fighter jets to Ankara
US President Joe Biden welcomed Turkey’s concession and agreed to work with Erdogan to improve security and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic region. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in Washington that he wants to move forward with the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey in consultation with Congress. Biden “has made it clear that he supports the transfer.” Some NATO partners see Erdogan’s months of hesitation on the Sweden issue as a means of pressuring the United States to deliver long-awaited F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.
Union External Affairs Minister Annalena Barbach tweeted that the joint efforts have paid off. “The way is finally clear for Turkey to recognize Sweden’s NATO membership.” Then with 32 NATO members, everyone will be safe together.
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Joseph Borrell, took the same stance. “Today a historic step was taken in Vilnius. Sweden’s path to NATO is open! This is good news for the people of Sweden and for our common security and defense policy. A strong NATO makes Europe safer,” he wrote on Twitter.
According to Stoltenberg, in return Erdogan received a commitment from Stockholm to actively support Ankara’s bid to join the EU. Kristerson stressed that the points agreed between the countries were long-term commitments from the Swedish side. “So this is not something we do to be allowed to join NATO,” he said.
A rapprochement with Ankara would be a big step for the EU. Turkey’s accession process has been on hold since 2018. The reasons for this include setbacks in democracy under Erdogan, the union complained, concerns about legal deficiencies and violations of the law in Turkey, and Ankara’s ongoing dispute with EU member Cyprus.
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