After talks with Sweden and Turkey in Brussels, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said his country did not expect a breakthrough in talks with Turkey before the NATO summit in Madrid in late June.
This was reported by European Truth.
Niinisto called the very fact of the negotiations progress, but his assessment of the content of the discussion is pessimistic.
"In general, in fact, progress is not so great. But we must be pleased that the discussions have begun. Everyone is looking at Madrid and the schedule in the context of Madrid, but it will be very difficult to reach an agreement so far, "he said, adding that Finland would most likely not be able to join NATO until September.
- A tripartite meeting of representatives of Turkey, Sweden, and Finland to join the Alliance took place on 20 June at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. Earlier, the President of Turkey opposed the accession of Finland and Sweden, calling them "shelters of terrorism."
- Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO in May 2022. All 30 member states must agree, but Turkey has vetoed it.