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Turkey

Turkey

July 12, 2026

Ankara 9:32 am

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Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose after signing a defense partnership agreement on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

Analysis

From S-400s to SAMP/T: Turkey’s defense pivot gathers pace after NATO summit

Turkey is seeking to turn the diplomatic momentum from the Ankara NATO summit into a broad defense realignment spanning US sanctions relief and fighter technology, European air defenses and deeper military cooperation with the UK.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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.

Latest News

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

AFP via Getty Images

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

Getty Images

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

A tramway drives through a crowd in Istiklal avenue on Jan. 25, 2019 in central Istanbul.

Suspected terror attack in central Istanbul kills six, wounds dozens

At least six people were killed and dozens wounded in an explosion on one of Istanbul’s busiest streets.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (L) hold a press conference following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara on November 8, 2022.

The Turkey Briefing: Erdogan basks in the global limelight

In this weekly newsletter, Amberin Zaman rounds up the biggest Turkey stories from the region.

Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli.

Erdogan's nationalist ally supports talks with pro-Kurdish party

MHP leader Devlet Bahceli's decision to back negotiations with the HDP over a constitutional amendment hints at an election strategy for Turkey’s ruling alliance.

Demonstrators chant and burn tires as they gather in the Syrian opposition-held town of al-Bab.

Turkey turns up pressure on allies in Syria

Turkey is using the jihadis’ march into Afrin to push its rebel allies in Syria to reorganize as a coherent, disciplined force. But what happens next if the factions fail to do so by the reported year-end deadline?

Alevis

Turkish government criticized for creating new Alevi cultural agency

Many Alevi associations have objected to the agency's placement with the Culture Ministry, which they say demonstrates the government’s refusal to recognize Alevis as a religious community.

MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images

What Netanyahu’s return means for Israel-Turkey ties

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent a congratulatory message to incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, signaling that nascent cooperation between the two countries would profit the region.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (L).

Erdogan unswayed by Swedish PM's charm offensive

The Swedish prime minister met the Turkish president in Ankara amid the ongoing NATO dispute over Sweden and Finland's accession to the alliance.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Opposition claims Turkey flooded by gangster 'black money'

An alleged Montenegrin mafia figure has been detained in Istanbul following the political opposition's warning that the government is turning a blind eye toward international criminals

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

IMF tells Turkey to raise interest rates

Inflation is rampant in Turkey, but Turkey's Central Bank stubbornly continues to cut interest rates under pressure from President Erdogan.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar (L) speaks with Sweden's Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist ahead of the second day of a meeting of the alliance's Defense Ministers at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Oct. 13, 2022.

NATO chief urges Turkey to stop stalling Sweden, Finland accession

Both Turkey's president and foreign minister tell the NATO secretary-general that steps from Sweden and Finland will determine the pace of Ankara’s ratification of the Nordic accession.

Libyan Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush (R) and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Libya differences stall Turkey-Egypt fence-mending

Turkey’s moves in Libya have undermined its fledgling dialogue with Egypt, even as Ankara took a number of measures to restrict Brotherhood exiles to please Cairo.

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Turkish inflation hits 85.5% as doubts linger over official data

Alternative surveys put Turkey’s inflation rate well above the official figure, nourishing suspicions that the statistics agency is tweaking market realities under government pressure.