Turkey's support for Ukraine's NATO membership is not a diplomatic courtesy or a bargaining chip - it is rooted in fundamental strategic interests that no Turkish leader can afford to abandon, former Ukrainian Ambassador Serhiy Korsunsky has argued.
The diplomat laid out what he called the unchangeable pillars of Turkish foreign policy during a March 5 broadcast with Yuriy Romanenko, as "Hvylya" reported.
"There are fundamental things in Turkey you cannot change," Korsunsky said. "First, this is a country that controls the Bosphorus. Second, it's a NATO country, and that's a key factor for Turkey's security. And it's deeply invested in not letting the Black Sea become a Russian sea." These three elements - the straits, the alliance, and Black Sea security - form an immovable foundation.
Then there is Crimea. "Crimea must be part of Ukraine, it must be the land of the Crimean Tatars, who in Turkey are called Crimean Turks. And this cannot be changed," the diplomat said. This is not merely a diplomatic position but a deeply held national conviction tied to Turkey's ethnic and cultural bonds with the Crimean Tatar population.
Korsunsky also pointed to the broader Turkic dimension. Turkey leads the Organization of Turkic States - with members including Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan - and has been aggressively expanding influence along the old Silk Road through energy projects like Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and TurkStream. A weakened Russia and a NATO-aligned Ukraine serve this vision directly.
The Turks "remember 17 lost wars" against Russia, the diplomat said, but channel their historical grievances through indirect strategy rather than confrontation. Turkey would be "thrilled" if Georgia also joined NATO, he added, because neither Ukraine nor Georgia currently possesses a full-fledged navy - making Ankara the dominant naval power ensuring the Black Sea does not fall under Russian control.
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