President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed the Russia-Ukraine war and steps to be taken to end the massacre in Palestine, joint steps against terrorism and other issues in a bilateral meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Monday, the Presidency's Directorate of Communications said.
Erdoğan and Rutte also talked about the upcoming NATO summit in 2026, which will take place in Türkiye, as well as cooperation on defense industry supplies and the country's contribution to NATO as an ally.
For his part, Erdoğan thanked Rutte for the bloc's solidarity with Türkiye following the terrorist attack on the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).
Rutte also said they discussed the growing challenges to the bloc and Türkiye's collective security – including the threat of terrorism, the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East.
"In an increasingly unpredictable world, #Türkiye makes invaluable contributions to NATO," Rutte said.
NATO member Türkiye says it supports Ukraine's territorial integrity and has provided Kyiv with military support.
But the country, a Black Sea neighbor of both Russia and Ukraine, also opposes Western sanctions against Moscow, with which it shares important defense, energy and tourism ties. On Wednesday, Erdoğan opposed a U.S. decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles to attack inside Russia, saying it would further inflame the conflict, according to an interview with a group of journalists.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun attended the meeting between Erdoğan and Rutte.
Rutte’s itinerary also includes engagements with representatives of Türkiye’s defense industry and a visit to Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) facilities, where five people were killed in a terror attack by the PKK in October.
