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Putin Visits Kaliningrad Day After Türkiye Approves Sweden's NATO Bid
Turkiye's President Erdogan has signed off on Sweden's request to join NATO after the Turkish parliament's ratification of the bid earlier this week. The move comes 20 months after the Scandinavian country first applied to join the alliance in response to Russia's attack on Ukraine. And the reaction has been swift, especially in Washington. The White House sent a letter to top lawmakers, urging Congress to approve a long delayed F-16 fighter jet deal to Turkiye.
Ankara has been trying to purchase 40 upgraded F-16s and dozens of modernization kits from Washington since 2021, but US lawmakers insisted they would only consider the sale once Turkiye approves Sweden's NATO accession. Both Sweden and Finland abandoned their decades of neutrality to join the alliance, citing Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Moscow, which criticized Finland's formal entry into NATO last year, called Ankara's approval of Sweden's bid a 'sovereign decision'. With Turkiye's greenlight, Hungary remains the last hurdle to Sweden joining the alliance.
Strait Talk, hosted by Ayse Suberker, is TRT World’s programme that features in-depth analysis of Türkiye’s role in the world.
Guests:
Glenn Diesen
Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway
Tudor Onea
Assistant Professor at Bilkent University
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