Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country opposes Finland and Sweden joining the military alliance after both nations’ leaders announced they would pursue it.
“First of all, we would not say ‘yes’ to those who impose sanctions on Turkey to join NATO, a security organization, during this process,” Erdogan said Monday, according to state-run Anadolu news. The Turkish leader said that Sweden and Finland should not bother to send diplomats to Ankara in a bid to convince him, either.
Both Sweden and Finland have remained mostly neutral since the end of World War II. However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 has triggered leaders of both countries to increasingly maneuver toward NATO membership.
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