Russian politician Leonid Slutsky issued an apparent warning on Wednesday, saying there will be consequences for Turkey to accept Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO.
In a Telegram publication, Slutsky, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) and chairman of the State Duma’s International Affairs Committee, wrote that if he were in Turkey’s place, “he would not be too flattered. for the assurances I received in exchange for not vetoing the accession of Finns and Swedes to NATO, “according to an English translation of its publication by the state news agency TASS.
Slutsky did not delve further into why Turkey should not be “flattered” by the guarantees it received in the deal.
“The accession of Finland and Sweden, in fact, to the front line of the alliance and the rejection of [their] The non-aligned status will be the choice of these countries, “he added,” according to the TASS translation. “However, they should clearly understand the consequences that this step would have on their relations with Russia and the general security architecture in Europe. that it is already in deep crisis ”.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February, both Sweden and Finland announced their plans to apply for membership in NATO, a defensive military alliance that currently consists of 30 member countries. All member states must support the admission of a new member in order for an application to be approved, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan initially said he would block offers from both Nordic countries over problems. security focused on its alleged membership. of an organization that Turkey considers a terrorist group.
But Erdogan and his Finnish and Swedish counterparts met at a NATO summit in Madrid on Tuesday and agreed on a memorandum addressing Turkey’s security concerns. On Wednesday, NATO officially invited Finland and Sweden to join the military alliance with the support of Turkey.
Russian officials such as President Vladimir Putin have vehemently opposed NATO expansion and have warned both Sweden and Finland not to join its ranks. Putin even cited the prospect of NATO expansion as one of his reasons for invading Ukraine.
Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky warned Turkey on Wednesday that there should be no “flattery” over the guarantees it received in exchange for supporting Sweden and Finland’s admission to NATO. Above, Slutsky attends the funeral of Russian politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky at Christ the Savior Cathedral on April 8 in Moscow. Konstantin Zavrazhin / Getty Images
Slutsky added in his Wednesday post about Turkey’s position in NATO that “Gorbachev was also promised something,” referring to former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. Slutsky did not specify what he meant by the former leader of the USSR. Newsweek contacted the politician through the State Duma for clarification.
NATO is strengthening its own security in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced Monday that the number of NATO troops in high readiness will increase more than sevenfold, the largest boost since the Cold War.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III also announced Wednesday that the U.S. will place its first permanent forces on the eastern flank of NATO.
Newsweek contacted the Turkish presidential office and the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment.