British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday he hoped NATO could proceed with ratifying Sweden’s accession to the alliance as soon as possible, pointing out the “significant benefits” of the country’s membership.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the two spoke on Friday evening on a range of matters, including Ukraine, their bilateral relationship and tackling illegal immigration.
“He underlined the significant benefits of Sweden joining NATO and the progress they have made in addressing Turkey’s legitimate security concerns and hoped the alliance could proceed with ratifying their accession as soon as possible,” the spokesperson said before a NATO summit next week.
At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Turkey a day after talks in Bulgaria to drum up support for NATO membership before the alliance’s July 11-12 summit.
Erdogan said after meeting Zelenskiy that Ukraine deserved NATO membership and that Ankara would continue working on a negotiated end to the war.
In Prague, Zelenskiy won a pledge of support for Ukraine to join NATO “as soon as the war is over”, and in Sofia secured backing for membership “as soon as conditions allow.”
North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg reaffirmed his view that Ukraine would become a member.
(REUTERS)