Western politicians can no longer ignore Turkey and its leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the president continues to play a pivotal role in the establishment of peace between Ukraine and Russia as Moscow forges on with its military campaign.
“In the first two weeks of the war alone, the President held conferences with 35 foreign heads of state and government, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Erdogan calls Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky several times a week,” writes Susanne Gusten of the German daily Der Tagesspiegel.
Gusten’s article, titled “The Turkish president's successful balancing act,” is just the latest in a long line of publications that have lauded Erdogan’s mediator role in the Ukraine war, with some even saying he is set to win a Nobel Peace Prize.
She goes on to highlight that Erdogan is one of a handful of leaders Putin trusts: “The Turkish president is the only head of state of a NATO country who has developed a personal relationship of trust with Putin.”
“Erdogan will not let Europeans forget that it was Turkey that brought Ukrainians and Russians to the table. The mediation has made it clear how important Turkey is among international powers,” the article concluded.
