Turkey’s Islamist leader using NATO to get free hand and punish US allies

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week highlighted the urgency of securing membership for Finland and Sweden during a meeting with NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg. Blinken telling reporters that he was in close contact with Erdogan on the issue.

Critics say Turkey’s disruption of a NATO enlargement plays into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strategy to weaken the military alliance that seeks to counter his invasion of Ukraine and further bellicosity across Europe.

Erdogan recently spoke with the Russian leader and proposed Turkey play a role in an “observation mechanism” to end the war with Ukraine. Russia’s foreign minister is reportedly traveling to Ankara, Wednesday, to meet with his Turkish counterpart for talks.

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And it’s not just Finland and Sweden. As if to prove a point, Erdogan opened up a second new front with NATO last week when he pulled the plug on talks with NATO member Greece over Ankara’s complaint of alleged airspace violations.

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