Turkey’s president demands progress on EU accession before supporting Sweden’s NATO membership, complicating negotiations with the US over F-16 jets.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has introduced a new hurdle in the ongoing negotiations over Sweden’s NATO membership. In a surprise move, Erdoğan linked Turkey’s EU accession process to Sweden’s entry into the alliance, stating that his country would only support Sweden’s NATO bid if there were advancements in Turkey’s own stalled EU membership talks. “First, let’s clear the path for Turkey in the European Union, and then we will move forward with Sweden, just as we did with Finland,” Erdoğan remarked while departing for the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

This unexpected demand complicates US efforts to broker a deal where Turkey would approve Sweden’s NATO accession in exchange for the sale of US-made F-16 jets, provided they are not used to threaten Greece. Erdoğan’s statement suggests that the situation is more complicated than previously anticipated and could delay or derail progress on Sweden’s NATO membership.

Turkey’s long-standing bid to join the EU has faced numerous challenges, including concerns over its human rights record, governance, and the state of democracy. By connecting Sweden’s NATO entry to the EU issue, Erdoğan has raised the stakes in the diplomatic negotiations, which have now become more entangled than expected.

The US had hoped for a swift resolution, with President Joe Biden engaging in talks with Erdoğan on Sunday. However, their discussions did not yield a breakthrough, with the Turkish president making it clear that he would not back Sweden’s NATO membership unless there was movement on Turkey’s EU membership.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was quick to dismiss the linkage, stating that the two issues should not be connected. “This is a matter separate from the other issue,” Scholz said, adding that it was inappropriate to treat them as intertwined.

Erdoğan has also expressed dissatisfaction with Sweden’s handling of Kurdish militants, accusing Stockholm of not fulfilling its commitments to address Turkey’s security concerns. Specifically, he criticized Sweden for allowing pro-Kurdish demonstrations that, in his view, support terrorism. Although Sweden has taken some steps to meet Turkey’s demands, Erdoğan remains critical, emphasizing that the actions taken so far have been insufficient.

As the NATO summit looms, Erdoğan’s remarks add a layer of complexity to the diplomatic landscape. His discussions with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, and later with EU Council President Charles Michel, suggest that Turkey’s EU membership bid may be an important factor in these negotiations. This new twist raises questions about how NATO expansion will unfold and how Turkey’s relationships with both the EU and the US will evolve moving forward.