ANKARA
Türkiye on Monday emphasized the need for a realistic approach to Ukraine’s NATO membership aspirations, highlighting the broader security concerns behind Kyiv’s bid to join the alliance.
"We wouldn't mind if they want to be a NATO member, but we have to be very much realistic because we openly stated that we are in favor of Ukraine to be a NATO member. This was the statement from our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, so this is our official position," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.
When asked if the new Trump administration had changed the US position, Fidan remarked: "I am not sure if the previous administration was also in favor of Ukraine joining NATO. So, I think there is no new policy on this."
Ongoing discussions about Ukraine’s NATO ambitions continue between Türkiye, European partners, and Ukrainian officials, he said.
"We have to understand one ... fact. Ukrainians are asking for NATO membership, just not for the sake of being a NATO member. It's just to see a security guarantee for their own country," he said.
"I think now the security guarantee for not seeing the war re-emerging is one of the primary questions that we are discussing in the negotiations," he added.
"So, the Ukrainians, one of the ways that they want to see, is NATO membership, if not creating a big international coalition to deploy alongside the contact lines, or the Russians might have different ideas for guarantee and security guarantees," he said.
- Türkiye's role in resolving Ukraine conflict, evolving geopolitical landscape
Fidan discussed Ankara’s ongoing diplomatic engagement with the Russia-Ukraine war, which marks its third anniversary on Monday, and Türkiye's efforts to contribute to the broader discussions.
Conversations with various international stakeholders, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US officials, have shaped Türkiye's perspective, he said.
He also reminded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Türkiye last week.
"We understand that a plan has been made by the relevant parties (Russia and Ukraine). As Türkiye, we are trying to contribute to the discussion, just as we did a few years ago. Still, we are waiting, and we will see what kind of plan will emerge after all these discussions," Fidan said.
On US President Donald Trump's calls for an "immediate ceasefire," Fidan emphasized the moral dimension of the conflict.
"It started as a geo-strategic issue, but now it is becoming a major moral issue," said Fidan. "In modern times, humanity allows such loss of life and destruction. Mr. Trump is right to want the war to stop, but how will we actually do that? How will we stop it? Another question people are currently working on is this."
Fidan also highlighted concerns within Europe about the shifting approach from the US under Trump.
"This is a very striking development, and it has left many of our European allies a bit concerned. Since the beginning of the Ukraine war, they have primarily been working on a plan with the Biden administration. Now, Trump and his administration are proposing a different plan," he said.
"Therefore, I think a lot of restructuring and discussions need to take place. Our European friends have started discussions among themselves, and there are talks under NATO as well. Once both sides form their opinions, they will begin to talk with each other.
"As I understand it, some European leaders like (French President Emmanuel) Macron and (UK Prime Minister Keir) Starmer will go to Washington and meet with President Trump. They will go and discuss these matters."
Fidan also raised concerns about Europe’s historical dependence on the US, saying: "Reducing dependency on the US will make them – and all of us – more resilient to economic and geopolitical crises.”
On potential paths forward in the Ukraine conflict, he said one focuses on halting the war, while the other addresses broader US-Russia relations. Fidan underscored that Trump’s approach to improving relations with Russia would need to include appropriately resolving the Ukraine conflict.
-Türkiye's EU membership efforts
On Türkiye's long-standing aspirations to join the EU, Fidan lamented the EU's reluctance to move forward.
"But unfortunately, Europeans do not think the same way. Because while they have succeeded in becoming a supranational civilization, they have failed to become a civilization above civilizations. They refuse to accept a major Muslim country into their ranks."
Fidan also highlighted the importance of last week’s G20 foreign ministers' meeting hosted by South Africa in shaping global geopolitical and geo-economic issues.
"In the absence of strong multilateral institutions, every nation-state sees self-reliance as an option,” he said.
This situation fosters intense competition among nations, leaving the most vulnerable behind, he warned.
- G20 foreign ministers' meeting
About last week’s foreign ministers' meeting, Fidan stressed that the G20 is an important platform for defining geopolitical and geo-economic issues and building bridges at the discussion level.
The significance of the G20 is becoming increasingly relevant to current global challenges, highlighting key issues such as the difference between multilateralism and unilateralism, reforming the international system, and how geo-economic issues are linked to geo-strategic and geopolitical matters.
"I believe that at the very least, we are achieving some positive results in defining the main issues and discussing them. However, we are facing difficulties in implementing these solutions and turning them into concrete, practical actions," he said.
Saying that multilateralism is eroding, he added: “This is the most important issue we are facing. If we can properly institutionalize multilateralism, then addressing geopolitical problems, war and peace, economic issues, development challenges, financial concerns, and technological matters will become easier for us."
Underscoring that the erosion of multilateralism makes it harder to tackle these challenges, Fidan continued: "In the absence of strong multilateral institutions, every nation-state sees self-reliance as an option. This fosters intense competition among nation-states, often leaving those who fall behind – and their people – suffering the most."
Asked whether there is unity in advancing multilateralism in bilateral relations or if some G20 member states are stepping back from it, Fidan responded: "On some issues, yes; on others, no."
In certain economic matters, he said, some positive results have been achieved in the past decade when collective action was required, but he added that a long road lies ahead in reforming the entire system to address the root causes of the problem.
Asked how the absence of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at last week’s South African meeting affected discussions, Fidan said: "There was a representative from the US, and we learned about their statements and vision. There was no lack in terms of hearing them. But of course, had my counterpart been here, we would have held additional meetings. In fact, I met with him last week in Munich."
