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administration, Biden said he had
a “positive and productive meeting”. He expressed confidence that his administration would make “real progress” in improving US-Turkish relations.
For his part, Erdogan said that Turkey and the US have no bilateral problems that cannot be solved, even while he gave no indication of progress on the biggest stalemate, Turkey’s purchase of the Russian missile systems. Calling the
the Nato summit, as he continues his campaign to get the allies to commit to a definite schedule for Ukraine’s ambition to join the military alliance.
Ukraine was explicitly mentioned in the G7 communiqué that ended on June 14 with many of the same attendees, with the collected leaders reiterating their support for the country and its sovereignty.
Ukraine was almost certainly discussed at the Nato summit, although there is
it meets the “criteria” and specifically deals with its corruption problem.
However, these “criteria” are not spelled out or defined in any way other than “deal with the outstanding problems.” Zelenskiy has been calling for something more specific: the country's inclusion
in the Nato Membership Action Plan (MAP), where the criteria to join the alliance are spelled out in detail and monitored.
Zelenskiy welcomed Biden’s comments but read more into them than they offered.
“Commend @Nato partners' understanding of all the risks and challenges we face. Nato leaders confirmed that will become a member of the Alliance & the #MAP is an integral part of the membership process. Deserves due appreciation of its role
in ensuring Euro-Atlantic security,” Zelenskiy said in a tweet.
Previously, following a call between Biden and Zelenskiy last week, the White House had to ask Bankova
to tone down a similar tweet that suggested Biden had promised Ukraine membership in Nato during the call.
Biden then said at a press conference following the conversation that
Nato would stand behind Ukraine's "sovereignty and territorial integrity," but didn't mention the country joining the alliance. It quickly became clear that Ukraine had overstated what happened by not including when the country might be admitted.
Nevertheless, Biden has thrown his weight behind Ukraine’s struggle against Russia, albeit on more informal terms and with caveats.
"We will do all that we can to put Ukraine in the position to be able to continue to resist Russian physical aggression," he said during the June
14 press conference. "And it will not just depend on me, whether or not we conclude that Ukraine can become part of Nato, it will depend on the alliance and how they vote."
“If you look at the cyber threats and the hybrid threats, if you look at the co-operation between Russia and China, you cannot simply ignore China"
meeting “productive and sincere” and emphasising his long years of friendship with the US leader, Erdogan said the discussion stressed the need for better dialogue, set a positive tone for the future and covered co-operation in areas such as Syria.
“We see that there is a strong will to start an efficient co-operation period based on mutual respect in every area,” he added.
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, at her last summit of the alliance before
she steps down in September, described Biden's arrival as the opening of a new chapter. She also said that it was important to deal with China as a potential threat, while keeping things in perspective.
"If you look at the cyber threats and
the hybrid threats, if you look at the co-operation between Russia and China, you cannot simply ignore China," Merkel told reporters. "But one must not overrate it, either – we need to find the right balance.”
Biden said both Russia and China were not acting "in a way that is consistent with what we had hoped".
Ukrainian shout-out
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was unhappy that he was not invited to
still no commitment to allowing it to join the alliance, a move that remains a red line for Russia.
Zelenskiy said on June 14 that he wanted a clear “yes” or “no” from Biden on giving Ukraine a plan to join Nato.
In a joint interview with Reuters, the Associated Press and Agence France- Presse, Zelenskiy said he had received assurances that Biden would not use Ukraine as a bargaining tool in his meeting with Putin this week.
But Biden has already thrown Ukraine under the bus to an extent by conceding to Germany’s demands that the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline be completed. It will allow the Russian gas transit business directed west to entirely bypass Ukraine and cost it some $2bn in transit revenues a year as a result.
Biden was asked if Ukraine will be allowed to join Nato in future at the press conference and fudged the answer. "Depends on whether they meet the criteria. The fact is, they still have to clean up corruption...school’s out on that question,” Biden replied.
The same line was floated by German lawmakers two weeks ago: Ukraine will be allowed to apply for membership once
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