August 18, 2025, may go down in history as a dark day for European diplomacy. Three days after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15, U.S. President Donald Trump, outmaneuvering European leaders, summoned them to his doorstep, saying, “Come, let me explain.” Putin had not wanted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the
After five years, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had the opportunity to meet face-to-face again with U.S. President Donald Trump, whom he calls his “friend,” at the NATO Summit held in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 24-25. However, unlike Erdoğan’s meetings with leaders from Germany, France, the UK, or the host Netherlands, which were held with
When I say hypocrisy of the European Union’s suggestion to Türkiye, I am not referring to the proposal by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to President Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on March 12. Tusk wants Turkey to take a leading role in the Russia-Ukraine talks. But this is not just in the hands of Poland,
NATO has been the cornerstone of Western security for over seven decades, preventing another world war despite setbacks in various conflicts. However, with Donald Trump back in the White House and openly questioning America’s role in the alliance, NATO’s future has become increasingly uncertain. Can Europe step up and defend itself without the US? What
This sentence, uttered by the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to the Financial Times, summarizes the view of Türkiye regarding the changing global geopolitics in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s comments in the last few weeks. This sentence is preceded by “Türkiye would want to be part of any new European security architecture
Turkish Defense Minister Güler stated that due to shifting geopolitical dynamics, the US could reinstate Türkiye in the F-35 program despite its possession of Russian S-400 missiles. Turkish National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler announced that the US might readmit Türkiye to the F-35 sales program despite its possession of Russian-made S-400 missiles, confirming that a
I was at the National Day reception at the Chinese Embassy in Ankara when Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Öncü Keçeli made a statement “it is an internal U.S. matter” regarding the federal corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams in which Türkiye is at the center. Unlike the Saudi Arabian reception, the entire Turkish military
At the recent NATO leaders summit in Washington, Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea were described as the “hostile camp” to the Alliance in harsher terms than ever before, sharpening fault lines. The decision to hold the 2026 NATO Leaders Summit in Türkiye was perhaps the most important decision for us. The joint statement also
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on July 12 that “Until a comprehensive, sustainable peace is established in Palestine, attempts at cooperation with Israel within NATO will not be approved by Türkiye.” In a press conference following the NATO 75th-year Summit in Washington DC Erdoğan said: “It is not possible for the Israeli administration, which
You might wonder about the connection between the “agent of influence” clause, said to be included in the 9th Judicial Package that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has not yet officially submitted to the TBMM Committee, and the allegations that asylum seekers, whom the UK will send to Rwanda, will be transferred to