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Trump's arrival has changed perspectives
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has privately urged EU leaders to increase engagement with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after years of tense relations, according to officials briefed on his comments.
It comes as Brussels explores ways to increase cooperation with Turkey and other non-EU neighbors, as part of a massive increase in European defense capabilities.
Trump's threats to withdraw US security guarantees to European NATO allies and his move to rekindle ties with Russia and cut off support for Ukraine have spooked EU capitals. In addition to the rush to increase defense spending, some EU capitals have advocated working on a "coalition of the willing" with non-EU countries such as Norway and the UK.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended a meeting of Europe's leading military powers in London earlier this month to discuss support for Ukraine and broader defense issues.
This followed a plea by Rutte at a private lunch with EU leaders earlier in February, where he raised the importance of increasing cooperation with Turkey and urged attendees to engage with Ankara to make it work, according to three people briefed on the discussion.
A spokesman for Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister who has occasionally clashed sharply with Erdogan during his time in office, declined to comment. The NATO secretary general told the European Parliament in January that the involvement of non-EU allies in the EU’s defense industrial efforts is, I believe, vital for Europe’s security.
“ Things change. At a certain point you have to decide who you would like on your team, regardless of any problems you might have. But they also have to resolve their ambiguities on Russia ,” a senior EU official said regarding relations with Turkey.
Turkey has not joined the EU and other Western allies in imposing direct sanctions on Moscow in response to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has maintained strong economic and energy ties with Russia. Athens has noted Turkey's lack of participation in the sanctions regime.
While the EU's direct involvement in defense and security matters is limited to areas such as military mobility and some peacekeeping and monitoring missions, the bloc has significant financial leverage to shape defense industry cooperation.
Turkey's important arms industry is one element in a wider dispute among member states over whether third-country defense companies should benefit from EU initiatives to boost arms spending. The push to increase engagement with Ankara also targets bilateral ties with EU capitals, officials said.
Turkey is technically a candidate for EU membership, but the process has long been in a state of disarray. The bloc suspended various channels of dialogue – including on security and defense – partly because of rising tensions with Greece.
A Greek diplomat said Athens remained "cautious and not dogmatic" about increasing defense cooperation with Ankara.
"Turkey should be constructive in dealing with unresolved issues with member states ," he added, referring to Greece and Cyprus.
EU member state Cyprus, which has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded its north in response to an Athens-inspired coup aimed at uniting the island with Greece, is one of the biggest obstacles to deepening ties. Turkish officials complain that the situation on the island of just over 1 million people has hampered initiatives to expand cooperation on European security issues.
Trump's arrival has changed the outlook, many diplomats told the Financial Times.
“We are currently determining the best course of action. If it results in a new European security structure, we are prepared to cooperate ,” Fidan told the FT last week when asked about Trump’s potential influence on Europe’s security arrangements./ Adapted from “Pamphlet” by “Financial Times”
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