Turkey’s president signals his disapproval of Finland and Sweden joining NATO.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey suggested on Friday that his country would be reluctant to openly welcome Finland and Sweden into NATO.

“Right now we are following developments regarding Sweden and Finland, but don’t have positive views,” he told reporters after attending Friday Prayer at a mosque in Istanbul.

Sweden and Finland’s potential entry into NATO would strengthen the alliance, a blow to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who has invoked its expansion as a reason for his decision to invade Ukraine.

Turkey, which has one of the largest armies among NATO members, has generally supported Western responses to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, agreeing to block Russian warships from passing through the Turkish Straits.

But Sweden and Finland need unanimous approval from all 30 member states to join, and Mr. Erdogan may be signaling he intends to use Turkey’s approval as a bargaining chip. Read more

@nytimes