« President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday repeated that Turkey could not abandon its ties with Russia or Ukraine, amid Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, adding Ankara would implement a pact on passage from its straits to prevent an escalation of the war » says Reuters.
NATO ally Turkey on Sunday called Russia’s invasion a « war », allowing it to invoke articles under a 1936 international accord that will limit the passage of some Russian vessels from Turkish straits. Turkey shares a maritime border with Ukraine and Russia and has good ties with both. read more
Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Erdogan criticised what he called the « indecisive » stance by the United States and Western powers to Ukraine’s invasion, saying the approach was a sign of a failing international order.
He said Turkey would not compromise from its commitments to its alliances, including NATO, but that it could also not turn back on « national interests » in its region. He repeated that he found the Russian invasion unacceptable.
Reuters, March 1, 2022, Photo/Neil Hall/EPA/EFE