Turkey supports Ukraine's Nato membership: Zelensky
Turkey supports Ukraine’s bid for Nato membership and understands the importance of security guarantees, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Turkish media on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Zelensky met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, while US officials met with their Russian counterparts in Riyadh, sidelining Kyiv and the EU as the Ukraine war approaches its third anniversary.
“Erdogan understands the importance of Ukraine’s Nato membership,” Zelensky said. “He has personally expressed his support for Ukraine's future Nato membership.”
Ankara’s support for Ukraine’s Nato ambitions is increasingly at odds with Washington. US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth ruled out the possibility of Nato membership for Kyiv last week, calling it “unrealistic” and stating that Europe should be responsible for Ukraine’s security.
Zelensky said that while the overwhelming majority of European nations support Ukraine’s Nato bid, Slovakia, Hungary, Germany and the US oppose it.
In his remarks on Tuesday, Erdogan did not commit Turkey to any future security guarantees for Ukraine. However, Zelensky said that they discussed the issue, and Erdogan agreed that it was still too early for such decisions.
Speaking about defence industry cooperation with Turkey, Zelensky said that he met with executives from the Turkish defence company Baykar, which is owned by Selcuk and Haluk Bayraktar and has ties to the Erdogan family.
"Their offices have been opened in Ukraine, and we are discussing matters beyond mutual acquisitions as well," he said. "We have many companies that produce long-range drones, and I believe our cooperation with Turkey will continue in this field."
Ankara is currently building a second corvette for the Ukrainian navy, which is expected to be delivered in 2026.
Ukraine is also producing what Zelensky referred to as “super engines” for Turkish defence projects, such as the Kaan fifth-generation fighter jet, Turkey’s national combat aircraft.
Zelensky noted that some joint projects were progressing slowly due to Russian attacks on production facilities.
Despite the ongoing war, Turkey and Ukraine continue to maintain a trade volume exceeding $6bn. Zelensky added that Kyiv would ratify a free trade agreement during Erdogan’s next visit to Ukraine.
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