Is Türkiye neutral in the Ukraine-Russia war?
Many Ankara-based newspapers devoted front-page photos and headlines to the Istanbul talks. These newspapers introduced İbrahim Kalın, the head of the MIT intelligence service, and Hakan Fidan, the Turkish Foreign Minister, as the two main architects of the Russia-Ukraine talks, while newspapers critical of Erdogan took a different view of the matter.
Akşam, a newspaper close to the Justice and Development Party, announced that the release of sick prisoners and those under the age of 25 and the mutual return of the bodies of 6,000 killed soldiers were among the initial results of Turkey’s mediation between Russia and Ukraine. However, the newspaper also announced that the main reason Russia agreed to the Istanbul talks was because of the recent Ukrainian operation, and that Moscow’s decision had nothing to do with Türkiye’s role and activism.
Sabah Daily, Hurriyet and Mellit newspapers have quoted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying that his most important goal is to bring the presidents of the United States, Russia and Ukraine to Istanbul.
Erdogan’s remarks about the recent talks between Moscow and Kiev officials are based on Turkey’s activism rather than having anything to do with the war in Ukraine, and he has repeatedly emphasized that he wants to make Istanbul the most important center of diplomatic developments in the world.
American and European newspapers, media and think tanks have also referred to the Istanbul talks, and Reuters, in the meantime, has linked Turkey’s role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict to Turkey’s strategic interests and geopolitical position.
The New York Times has also pointed out that Turkey has provided military support to Ukraine by selling TB2 drones, but at the same time, it has significant economic relations with Russia, especially in the energy and trade sectors, and it wants to maintain these interests.