Erdogan's 'freeze' plan: Postponing Ukraine's NATO aspirations
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to present a "conflict freeze" proposal for Ukraine at the G20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro on Monday based on the current front lines. According to the Bloomberg agency, the proposal also includes delaying discussions on Ukraine's NATO membership for at least 10 years.
18 November 2024 09:27
Bloomberg sources report that the Turkish leader wants to persuade President Volodymyr Zelensky to postpone efforts to join the North Atlantic Alliance by at least 10 years "as a concession" to Vladimir Putin.
Erdogan wants to convince Zelensky: "He saw intelligence data"
Ankara's plan includes creating a demilitarized zone in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. International military forces would be dispatched to the region for additional security guarantees. Kyiv would also receive assurances of weapon supplies to compensate for remaining outside of NATO.
Turkish authorities admit that the proposals may be difficult for Ukraine to accept but view them as the most "realistic approach." They emphasize that ensuring a lasting ceasefire should be the priority before discussing the future of territories occupied by Russia.
Erdogan hopes to persuade Zelensky to participate in peace talks in Istanbul. According to sources, the Turkish leader "saw intelligence data indicating that Ukraine could lose significantly more territory in the coming months if fighting is not halted."
The invitation for Ukraine to join NATO is a key point in President Zelensky's so-called victory plan.
