Turkey

Syrian Kurdish leader says Turkish intentions unclear. Will Turkey mount yet another military incursion against US-backed Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria “at any time, any moment,” as the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been threatening for some time? The threat seemed to subside as Erdogan came back “empty handed,” …

FSA forces are carrying out military maneuvers in preparation for the battle against Kurdish forces in Tal Rifaat, while Turkey is bringing in more reinforcements. The Tal Rifaat Military Council affiliated with the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions has recently been carrying out military drills, using military vehicles and …

The Turkish, Iranian and Russian leaders are set to meet in Tehran next week amid lingering Turkish threats against Syrian Kurdish groups. Putin and Erdogan will separately discuss the Ukrainian grain crisis. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Tehran next week, …

At the core of a US policy debate over the merits of President Joe Biden’s pilgrimage, this week to the Middle East lies the question of how best to ensure regional stability and protect United States interests. Lost in the debate is whether the cost of maintaining stability by supporting …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has discussed Ukrainian grain exports in separate phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Ukraine and its allies have pushed for the reopening of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, which Kyiv says are shut because of a Russian blockade. Western countries …

Turkey and Turkmenistan are working on a gas deal that will likely extend to Europe in a bid to reduce Western dependency on Russian gas. With fears mounting that Russia may cut off gas supplies to Europe, Turkey is working on plans to bring in gas from Turkmenistan and has …

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid continues his round of phone calls with regional leaders ahead of US President Joe Biden’s trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia on July 13-16. On Sunday, the Israeli PM spoke with both Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Lapid and …

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov have a thorough exchange of views on international and regional affairs with particular emphasis on the situation in Ukraine. Turkish and Russian foreign ministers have held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 ministerial meeting in Bali, …

Turkey’s ambassador to Kyiv has been summoned to voice Ukraine’s displeasure over its grain stolen by Russia and shipped to Turkish ports. Turkey’s relations with Ukraine are showing increasing signs of strain five months into Russia’s invasion of its Black Sea neighbor. The brewing friction stems from Ukrainian allegations that …

Ukraine’s growing pressure on Turkey to act against Russian shipments of “stolen” Ukrainian grain highlights the importance of establishing a safe export corridor under UN auspices. Turkey’s balancing act between Russia and Ukraine may have raised its diplomatic profile in the war, but not without dropping some hot potatoes in …