Turkey will not ‘be rushed’ on Ukraine NATO membership, Erdoan tells NBC News [Video]

Ukraine’s proposal for NATO membership is not a question “to be rushed,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told NBC News in an exclusive interview Tuesday, adding that relations between his country and Russia were “expanding.”

Speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Erdoğan said that the U.S. and other members of the Western alliance “don’t want Ukraine to be a member state.”

“These are not questions to be rushed,” he said. “And when making our minds, when we are taking our decisions, we always take into consideration the stance of other NATO member states, we discuss those possible questions around the table and make the final decision accordingly.”

His comments will likely prove disappointing for his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is set to present his victory plan to the White House this week.

While the specifics of Zelenskyy’s proposal have been closely guarded until it can be presented to …