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Turkey

July 10, 2026

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Lebanese PM Salam in Turkey as Erdogan seeks wider regional role

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s visit to Turkey comes after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently warned that Israeli attacks against Lebanon and Syria threaten Turkey’s security.

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In first, Russia confirms S-400 talks with Turkey amid transfer reports to acquire F-35

On Friday, the Kremlin spokesperson provided the first confirmation that Turkey and Russia have held discussions about Ankara's efforts to resolve the S-400 issue with Washington.

Latest News

Turkey brokers intra-Somalia talks as federal rifts test Ankara’s influence

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey Alparslan Bayraktar speaks during the launch of an offshore energy exploration at the port in Mogadishu on April 10, 2026.

Trump 'undecided' on Turkey's F-35s as Congress seeks answers on S-400

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Feature

Armenia's Pashinyan keeps Iran close while wooing Trump, Turkey and Azerbaijan

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (R) shakes hands with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian during his visit in Yerevan on July 19, 2025. (Photo by KAREN MINASYAN / AFP) (Photo by KAREN MINASYAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Ezgi Akin

Associate Editor (Turkey)

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar attends a NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels on February 13, 2020, to address key issues including the Alliances training mission in Iraq and the fight against international terrorism. - Ministers will also discuss NATOs presence in Afghanistan, the challenges posed by Russias missile systems and NATO-EU cooperation. (Photo by Aris Oikonomou / AFP) (Photo by ARIS OIKONOMOU/AFP via Getty Images)

Intel: Turkish defense minister asks Congress to halt bill sanctioning Ankara

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar asked US lawmakers today to abandon legislation that would sanction Ankara over its purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system that the House passed last week.

Hagia Sophia is open for prayers, but not to Kurds

The Turkish government has deliberately excluded the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party from political and symbolic events ever since July 2015. This has not destroyed Turkey’s third-largest party, but it has contributed to the rise of Kurdophobia.

Turkey stops eastern Mediterranean drilling, wants talks with Greece

The area in which Turkey planned to drill for gas is considered by Greece and Cyprus to be their waters.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's twitter account is seen on a computer screen on March 26, 2014 in Istanbul. A Turkish court on Wednesday overturned the government's controversial Twitter ban imposed after audio recordings spread via the social media site implicated Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a corruption scandal. AFP PHOTO/BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkish lawmakers to debate controversial social media bill

With a vote expected this week, the Turkish Parliament is set to begin deliberations over a bill that would compel social media platforms and news websites to open offices in Turkey and even remove content upon government request.

Is Turkey headed for compromise or fresh fighting in Idlib?

Turkey’s military buildup and efforts to collaborate with the dominant rebel group in Idlib appear to be the harbinger of a fresh war in the region, yet rebel forces suspect that Turkey is willing to concede to Russia.

Director general of the Anatolian Culture Asena Gunal stands in front of Osman Kavala's portrait during an interview at Anatolian Cultur Center on February 26, 2020 in Istanbul. - Osman Kavala, imprisoned in Turkey for nearly three years now without ever being convicted of a crime, is a philanthropist and businessman. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Ge

Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala marks 1000th day in jail

Despite the European Court of Human Rights' order for his release, Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala remains imprisoned in Turkey on what supporters call politically motivated charges.

Egyptian tanks take part in the Arab Shield joint military exercises at Mohamed Naguib military base in El-Hamam near the Mediterranean coast, about 240 kilometres northwest of the capital Cairo on November 15, 2018. - Forces from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan are taking part in the maneuvers. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / AFP) (Photo credit should read KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey untroubled by conflict with Egypt, UAE in Libya

Ankara believes a large-scale Egyptian ground operation is highly unlikely in Libya, considering the likely dynamics of power struggles in the skies of Sirte and al-Jufra, between tribes in southern Libya and on air and naval logistical routes between Libya and Turkey.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - JULY 24: In this handout picture released by the Turkish Presidential press office, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and invited guests attend Friday prayers at Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque during the buildings first official prayers after being reconverted into a mosque on July, 24, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Handout/Turkish Presidential Press Office/Getty Images)

Istanbul's Hagia Sophia holds first Friday prayers since reconversion to mosque

Is Turkey's reconversion of the Hagia Sophia into a mosque a politically expedient decision or part of Turkey’s growing global assertiveness?

Intel: Russia may be reinforcing Libya’s Sirte ahead of expected offensive

The US military has released new aerial surveillance images purporting to show additional Russian military equipment in Libya in the latest sign the Kremlin may be gearing up to help Gen. Khalifa Hifter defend the strategic city of Sirte.

How has Russia forced Turkey to compromise on Libya?

The July 22 Turkish-Russian joint statement on Libya shows Moscow has succeeded in forcing Ankara to compromise.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - JANUARY 08: Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) talk onstage at the opening ceremony of the Turkstream Gas Pipeline Project on January 08, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey. The TurkStream project comprises two underwater gas lines, each with an annual capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters. Gas will initially flow to Turkey, while a combination of existing and new pipelines will subsequently take supplies via Bulgaria to Serbia and then on to Hungar

Turkey, Russia agree to work for truce in Libya as regional rivalry heats up

Despite backing opposing sides, Moscow and Russia have pledged to work toward a cease-fire in the North African country in a conflict that is fueling a complex maze of rivalries across the region.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - JULY 10: A woman gestures infront of a placard depicting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II, also known as Mehmet the Conqueror, outside Istanbul's famous Hagia Sophia on July 10, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey. Turkey's top administrative court ruled to annul a 1934 decree that turned the historic Hagia Sophia into a museum. The controversial ruling opens the way for the structure to be converted back into a mosque after 85 years. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hande

Is Erdogan’s ability to turn superpower rivalry to advantage diminishing?

The only thing Ankara can rely on is that the US-Russian conflict will grow to the point where the need to work with Turkey will override any antipathy felt for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government.