The Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg clarified today Friday that he expects from Ankara to ratify Sweden’s accession to NATO immediately after the convocation of the Turkish parliament in October.

The head of the Alliance argued that Turkey has made it clear that it is not linking the purchase of F-16s from the US with the ratification of Sweden’s accession to NATO, despite Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statements to the contrary.

It is noted that last Tuesday the president of Turkey announced that the Turkish parliament will keep its promise to ratify Sweden’s candidacy for NATO membership, if US President Joe Biden pave the way for the sale of F-16s to Ankara. The Turkish parliament will have the final say on Sweden’s accession, the Turkish president said.

“Poland and Slovakia will continue to support Ukraine”

Jens Stoltenberg he also stated that he is convinced that Warsaw and Bratislava they will continue to support Ukraine in its war against Russia after the upcoming elections in Poland and Slovakia, despite recent tough rhetoric towards Kiev.

Poland, which will elect its new parliament on October 15, said last week that will no longer agree to new arms deliveries to Ukraine and will instead focus on restoring its own reserves.

NATO member Poland was until recently considered one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies in its war against Russia, but their relations were tested after Poland’s decision to extend a ban on Ukrainian grain imports.

“I expect and am convinced that Ukraine and Poland will find a way to deal with these issues, without this having a negative impact on military support to Ukraine,” the NATO chief said in an interview in Copenhagen.

NATO member Slovakia is also a staunch ally of Ukraine, sending its eastern neighbor military equipment including MiG-29 fighter jets and an S-300 air defense system.

But opposition leader and former prime minister Robert Fitzou, who is leading the polls for tomorrow’s general election on Saturday, has vowed to end this military support.

“Whatever new government they have in Slovakia, we will continue to sit (together) at NATO meetings,” Stoltenberg said, “and I am convinced that we will find ways to continue to provide support – as we have done after every election in this alliance since the war began.”