Turkish President Erdogan Keeps the World Guessing on NATO Expansion

Turkey remains a holdout to Swedish and Finnish NATO entry
Ankara has warned it may not ratify bids before elections

Recep Tayyip attends a NATO summit in 2022.Photographer: Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images

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By Kati Pohjanpalo, Natalia Drozdiak, and Selcan Hacaoglu

January 16, 2023 at 6:39 AM UTC

Updated on

January 16, 2023 at 1:51 PM UTC

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Six months since Turkey agreed to NATO allies inviting Sweden and Finland to join the alliance, the expansion has stalled as Ankara holds out on ratifying the applications.