After more than a year of negotiations, Turkiye is set to back Sweden's bid to join NATO. The alliance's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has agreed to forward Sweden's accession to parliament. He added that Sweden would also actively support efforts to revitalize Turkiye's EU accession process.

The two leaders also discussed the Black Sea Grain Initiative, that is set to expire on July 17th. President Erdogan said he hopes the deal would be extended, allowing Ukrainian to conitnue to flow to global markets. During his visit, President Zelenskyy also announced that commanders of the Azov battalion were coming home. The soliders were part of a prisoner exchange that Turkyie helped broker between Ukraine and Russia last year. Erdogan's meeting with Zelensky came just days before the Turkish president headed for a NATO summit in Lithuania, where he will meet with several leaders, including US president Joe Biden. Ukraine, which has been pusing for NATO membership.

Guests:
Murat Yesiltas
Director of Foreign Policy Research at SETA

Gregory Simons
Associate Professor at Turiba University

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