A double slap from Turkey to Vladimir Putin’s Russia. “Ukraine deserves to join NATO. Russia and Ukraine should return to peace talks”, stated Turkish President Recep Tayyp Erdogan at the end of the meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is on a mission abroad to prepare for the Vilnius NATO summit on 11 and July 12. Yesterday evening the White House ruled out that Ukraine’s entry into NATO was imminent.
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But in addition to pushing for Kiev to join the Atlantic Alliance, there is another reason for friction between Ankara and Moscow. “The return of former prisoners of war fighters of the Azov battalion from Turkey to Ukraine is a violation of the terms of the agreements in force, both by Kiev and Ankara,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov complained, after iZelensky announced his return to Kiev after the mission to Istanbul with five commanders of the Azov, which Russia had handed over to Turkey in September on condition that they did not leave the country. “Russia has not been informed of the transfer of the Azov commanders from Turkey” Peskov’s fury at Erdogan’s move.
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