Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to accept an invitation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Kremlin confirms this.
MOSCOW – Amid the Ukraine war, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has announced a trip that will draw much attention. He will accept the invitation of his colleague from Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and visit Ankara. The Kremlin confirmed this. “The Turkish President has confirmed his invitation to our President to visit Turkey,” Putin’s adviser Yuri Ushakov told the news agency on Thursday interfax according to There are plans for this trip, but no fixed date yet, he added.
Since Russia’s attack on Ukraine, reports have repeatedly emphasized the male friendship between Putin and Erdogan. Turkey had not held back on sanctions against Russia, and Putin, on the other hand, appeared alongside the Turkish president in the presidential election campaign, which Erdogan narrowly won. Economic relations between the two countries had hardly suffered from the Ukraine war.
Erdogan presents himself as a mediator for peace between Ukraine and Russia
For example, the NATO state Turkey is not considered an ally of Russia, but at least alongside Hungary as its biggest advocate in the defense alliance. In Moscow, Erdogan’s resistance to Sweden’s NATO membership should also be viewed favorably. Erdogan, on the other hand, has presented himself as a mediator for peace between Kiev and the Kremlin in the past. It is quite possible that he would like to use Putin’s visit to make another attempt.
The renewed extension of the grain agreement could represent a first step on the way to a peace initiative. The agreement, once negotiated in Istanbul, was extended in May. It officially expires on July 17th. According to a report by the Süddeutsche Zeitung threatened to let the deal expire without renewal or replacement to Russian military bloggers. Erdogan may be keen to persuade his Russian colleague to change his mind.
Rare opportunity for Putin to show himself as an international statesman
For Putin, the trip is also an opportunity to show himself as a statesman on the international stage outside the spheres of influence of clear allies such as China and former Soviet states. The Russian President does not have too many countries in this regard. Because of the Ukraine war, in which Russia recently had to accept high losses, Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court worldwide with an arrest warrant. Any country that recognizes the criminal court is obliged to arrest him and extradite him to The Hague. Putin’s participation in the summit of the so-called BRICS countries (consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) in Johannesburg this summer is therefore considered unlikely. South Africa recognizes the Criminal Court – unlike Turkey. (with dpa)
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