For Putin, Ankara is the most reliable partner within NATO since Turkey remains the only Alliance country that has not implemented Western sanctions against the Kremlin.
By Athena Papakosta
On his birthday Vladimir Putin, on October 7, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was leaving Prague, the Union’s “27” and their remaining 16 neighbors behind. That day he was one of the few to wish “Happy Birthday” to the one he still calls “my good friend”, writes the Economist in his quest to decipher what ultimately unites these two leaders: NATO’s ally and the Alliance’s greatest threat.
On October 13, the two men had another scheduled date. The foursome took place inAstana, Kazakhstan. Putin’s game was already underway.
24 hours before he had managed to surprise Brussels by proposing Turkey as Europe’s new energy hub. “Putin’s latest offer” gzero wrote is unsustainable to add that the question that arises is whether Putin with this idea is “trolling” Europe with an offer that he knows the “27” will refuse or if he really he believes that European leaders will suddenly decide that the Russian president is a reliable partner.
For Putin, Ankara is the most reliable partner within NATO since Turkey remains the only Alliance country that has not implemented Western sanctions against the Kremlin.
“Turkey is the most reliable route for Russian gas to Europe,” he told his Turkish counterpart on Thursday, reiterating his idea. For his part, “both with the West and with Putin Recep Tayyip Erdogan” did not respond to the wish of his Russian counterpart.
Added to this friendship – which has endured a lot – is their cooperation on a nuclear level. This time they announced the construction of yet another nuclear plant with the one in Akougiou expected to be operational within the new year.
Against the background of the war in Ukraine, Turkey is still trying to balance in two boats. On the one hand, the EU, NATO and the “rejected Biden”. And on the other hand, forever and its increasing dependence on Russia.
However, Ankara is calling for a ceasefire. “I have always said that a just peace can be achieved through diplomacy, and our intensive efforts to eliminate the consequences of the conflict have been recognized by the whole world,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday at the summit of the Conference on interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
But can Ukraine now sit at the negotiating table with Russia?
Moscow is reportedly open to negotiations. At least this appears from her publication Russian newspaper Izvestia which cites statements by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov who says the goals of the “special military operation” in Ukraine remain unchanged but may be achieved through negotiations.
At the same time, the BBC’s Ukraine correspondent Hugo Basega reports that Kyiv “has vowed to regain all the areas it has lost, including those before February 24. And most Ukrainians seem to support this.”
The Russian president vowed revenge for the explosion in Crimea and unleashed a barrage of missile attacks that not only scared Ukraine and its people. At the same time, he insists on targeting energy infrastructures, turning the winter into a weapon against the Ukrainians, while critics lurk inside him and the narrative of a “special military operation” that suddenly froze is not enough, making peace talks a midsummer night’s dream…
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I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
