Secretary-general Mark Rutte urges European leaders to put aside differences with Ankara to boost security co-operation

Archive: https://archive.is/2025.03.11-052335/https://www.ft.com/content/42f838af-9aaa-4d43-b60f-3ceedd35821c

Nato has urged the EU and Turkey to improve their relations as US President Donald Trump’s retreat from European security forces the continent’s capitals to rapidly rethink their alliances.

Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte has privately urged EU leaders to step up engagement with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after years of strained relations, according to officials briefed on his remarks

It comes as Brussels explores way to increase collaboration with Turkey and other non-EU neighbours as part of a massive scale-up of European defence capabilities.

Trump’s threats to withdraw US security guarantees to European Nato allies and his move to restart ties with Russia and cut off support to Ukraine have spooked EU capitals. As well as a rush to increase defence spending, some EU capitals have championed working in a “coalition of the willing” with non-EU countries such as Norway and the UK.

  • jmcsEnglish
    351·
    2 days ago

    Deepening relationships with Turkey should be contingent on them not acting like Russia (Cyprus and Syrian Kurdistan say hi).

    • ℍ𝕂-𝟞𝟝@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      71·
      1 day ago

      We keep dealing with the US and China. I don’t think we have the space and security to be picky, and Türkiye is not the worst of our allies, not by far.

    • rumschlumpel@feddit.orgEnglish
      8·
      1 day ago

      Also just generally the relations between Greece and Turkey, the conflicts don’t stop with Cyprus.

    • NIB@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      1 day ago

      I dont think Turkey will do anything bad with Cyprus(ie third invasion), any time soon, that would draw too much attention and reaction. The kurds in Syria seem to be close to a deal with the Syrian government.

      However Turkey had a non 0% chance* of getting ready to cause an incident by invading or disputing greek islands(basically what Russia did in Ukraine) but after the Russian invasion, the strong and meaningful reaction by the West(instead of the usual stern letters of disapproval) and the whole F-35 fiasco, Turkey atm seems to have cooled off atm. The Russian invasion was one of the best things to have happened to Greece.

      • Check Erdogan’s comments about how Turkey might come one night(to Greece) and how their new missiles could reach Athens. Yup, thats the big ally of Europe, protector of liberal values and democracy, the wall that will stop foreign Imperial ambitions.
    • Limitless_screaming@kbin.earth
      16·
      1 day ago

      Not “acting like Russia” should be contingent with not helping Syrian Kurdistan take areas where nearly no Kurds live, not blowing up cars in busy markets, and not sniping people in Aleppo.