_{UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE/AFP}

President Zelensky visited Turkey on March 8 for the second time in the last two years and met with President Erdogan. In his previous visit in 2022, he left Turkey with five commanders who led the defence of the Azovstal steel plant during the Battle of Mariupol. The commanders were released to the custody of Turkey by Russia on the condition that they stay till the end of the war.

The press secretary for President Putin had complained that they were not informed about the release, but blamed Turkey’s NATO allies for putting a heavy pressure on Turkey.

In the press conference, President Erdogan referred to Ukraine as a strategic partner and reiterated their support for the Ukrainian territorial integrity and its independence. Also he underlined the importance of the institution of Ukrainian economic self-sufficiency together with its  lasting territorial security. According to him this was possible through Ukraine’s integration with the Euro-Atlantic Institutions. With this last comment, Turkey continued to contradict two Russian red-lines  - Ukrainian membership to NATO and EU.

Moreover, he expressed his belief that the Free Trade Area Agreement between Ukraine and Turkey will give a new momentum to the relations. He emphasised that many Turkish firms, despite the difficulties of the ongoing war, continue to be present in Ukraine and hopes that Turkey will have a share in rebuilding Ukraine.

The Turkish President volunteered once again to be a mediator for the security on the West of Black Sea and for the peace negotiations. Since the Russian fleet is sequestered already to the East of the sea and both sides are nowhere close to any peace talk his proposal is at the moment redundant. However, the offer of being host for the peace talks should be considered together with the persistent affirmation of the Turkish commitment in the well-being of their cognate Crimean Tatar nation.

Indeed, in his talk Erdogan stated that Crimean Tatars struggle with heart and soul for the territorial integrity of Ukraine. He also thanked Zelensky for his contributions in guaranteeing their rights and augmentation of their autonomy. All these statements show that in the peace talks Turkey wants to have a word in the fate of Crimea.

On the other hand, President Zelensky explained that the conditions for the peace talks do not exist. Moreover its terms should be discussed beforehand with the allies of Ukraine in a summit that will take place in Sweden and naturally Turkey should also be present there. That shows that Ukraine is not ready for the peace talks in any form and also under the mediation of Turkey.

Moreover he explained that at the moment Ukraine established security for the maritime commerce hinting that there is not a necessity for a second grain deal with Russia with or without Turkish mediation. In addition, while he showed that he cares for the Crimean Tatars who are suppressed under Russian rule, also underlined that Ukrainians also go through the same hardships.

Obviously, his preferred topics were bilateral agreements in defence industry and commercial activities. He sounded enthusiastic in the developments especially in the defence industry and his visit to the shipyard where Ukrainian corvettes are built. He was also keen on the participation of Turkey in rebuilding Ukraine.

It should be noted that a visit of President Putin to Turkey was announced twice in the last 10 months, but none took place. Whether the reason was to snubTurkey because of its close relations with Ukraine or not daring to step in as a NATO country, nonetheless the Russian President’s visit was highly anticipated by Turkey. The visits of the foreign leaders are used by the Turkish propaganda machinery as a  demonstration of the prestige of the Turkish President as a world leader.

The relations of the both countries began to develop to the discontent of the West after the shoot down of a Russian warplane while it was in Turkish airspace near the Turkish-Syrian border  in 2015. The event was considered as a "stab in the back" and threatened with serious consequences by President Putin. However relations swiftly restored and even the assassination of Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov in Ankara, in 2016 did not slow it down.

The infamous purchase of  Russian S-400 missile systems that strained Turkish relations with the West was perceived as a clear sign of shift towards Russia and away from NATO by the US. On the other hand Turkish opposition saw it as an apology. It is possible that Russia interpreted it as both and saw it as an opportunity to put a wedge between the alliance and one of its strong members.

President Putin may be overestimating the value of Russia and misjudging the position of Turkey while dismissing the visits.  When Russian systems were purchased, Turkey was already in search of procuring missile systems together with the transfer of its technology. When the US could not be convinced for the technology transfer of their Patriot systems, negotiation with China to acquire the FD-2000 system that will also allow Turkish licensed production was in process. It is not a new strategy for Turkey to reveal the existence of options as a bargaining chip in its relations with the West.

It is very possible that President Putin considers the warm relations between Turkey and Ukraine as a second stab in the back, but does not dare to make it an issue. He needs to keep as many friendly faces around him as possible and doesn’t mind if they are hypocritical. Turkey plays its position rather well, playing both sides. Although the purchase of Russian systems was an obvious mistake and its cost was high to Turkey, its negative effects began to dissipate. The West is more aware of its deficiencies against the East. As Turkey orients itself away from Russia, its value for Europe increases. Its strong relation with Ukraine definitely improves its position.

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