Washington's support for Ankara on the issue of Turkish membership in the EU became part of the agenda of U.S.-Turkish bilateral relations in the late 1980s. However, it was during the course of the next decade that American officials began to engage in intensive lobbying efforts among key U.S. allies in Europe to promote Turkey's EU aspirations. This article is analyzing the motives behind the US support for Turkey's bid for membership in the EU and the differences in the approaches betvveen the US and the EU on this issue.