NATO chief urges EU to form conflictual alliance with Europe's black sheep

Rutte, who has clashed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on several occasions in his previous role as Prime Minister of the Netherlands, has now stressed that the EU and Türkiye must work together to ensure security.

The EU is currently exploring ways to enhance cooperation with Türkiye and other non-EU countries as it seeks to significantly strengthen its defence capabilities.

Trump's threats to withdraw US security guarantees to European NATO allies, as well as the resumption of relations with Russia and the withdrawal of support for Ukraine, have raised concerns in EU capitals. As a result, some EU countries are pushing for cooperation in a 'coalition of the willing' with countries such as Norway and the UK.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended a meeting of Europe's major military powers in London in February to discuss support for Ukraine and wider defence issues. Rutte had earlier stressed the importance of cooperation with Ankara during a working lunch. A senior EU official said regarding relations with Türkiye:

Things change. At a certain point in time you need to decide who you would like on your team, regardless of any issues you might have. But they also need to sort out their ambiguity over Russia.

Türkiye has not joined the EU and other Western allies in imposing sanctions on Russia and continues to maintain strong economic and energy ties with Moscow. Greece has therefore pointed out that Türkiye is not participating in the sanctions regime while it has not settled its disputes with several EU member states, including Athens over Cyprus.

Although the EU's direct intervention in defence and security matters is limited, the bloc has significant financial means to shape defence industry cooperation. Türkiye's substantial arms industry is part of a wider debate among EU member states over whether third country defence companies should benefit from EU initiatives to increase arms spending.

Rutte's proposal also means that Brussels will have to bite the bullet: Türkiye is officially a candidate for membership of the European Union, but the process has been stalled for years. Although accession negotiations began in 2005, the process has been hampered by a number of factors, including political and human rights concerns and strained relations with Greece over Cyprus. The EU has suspended several channels of dialogue, including on security and defence issues, partly due to tensions between the two sides.

EU member Cyprus, divided since 1974 when Türkiye invaded the north in response to an Athens-inspired coup aimed at uniting the island with Greece, is one of the biggest obstacles to closer ties. Turkish officials complain that the situation on the island of just over one million people has hampered initiatives to broaden cooperation on European security issues.

Cover photo: Turkish Presidency/ Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Anadolu via Getty Images