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Turkey

Turkey

July 12, 2026

Ankara 2:14 pm

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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

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Putin’s 'gas hub’ plan aims to bolster Erdogan's image

Erdogan has accepted Putin’s offer to create a “gas hub” in northwest Turkey. But what is a gas hub? Is it workable? If realized, what impact would it have?

Members of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadi group advance toward the village of Jindayris.

Are Syria’s HTS jihadis Turkey’s new friends?

After Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the jihadi faction that runs the northwestern province of Idlib, moved into Afrin, the question of where Turkey stands in this power grab is of critical importance.

CIS summit

Middle Eastern leaders converge on Kazakhstan

The Central Asian nation hosted the annual Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States summits this week.

Turkey mine blast

Turkish coal mine explosion kills 22, traps dozens

The accident in northern Turkey killed 22 people, injured more than 20 and trapped dozens of miners waiting to be rescued from underground.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gave a speech at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Cemevleri

Erdogan’s pre-election gesture to Alevis met with suspicion

Many leaders of Turkey’s Alevi community question the motives behind Erdogan’s plan to create a public authority in charge of Alevi houses of worship.

Fatih Ardıç - Maskot Ettin Beni

Turkish imam loses his job over lyrics criticizing government

Demotion of an imam over a protest song comes as another sign of the expanding intolerant climate in Turkey ahead of June elections.

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez.

Turkey bullish about F-16 deal with Washington, despite Menendez's vow to block it

The New Jersey senator has vowed to block any deal until the Turkish president "halts his campaign of aggression against the region."

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

EU warns Turkey on ties with Russia ahead of Erdogan-Putin meeting

The European Commission’s annual report on Turkey criticizes Ankara for increasing trade and financial relations with Russia, inviting Russian oligarchs to the country and undermining EU sanctions against Russia.

Leaders of nations of the European Political Community (EPC), including Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev (L) and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (R).

Turkey's stance complicates potential peace between Armenia, Azerbaijan

By linking Turkey’s normalization with Armenia to a peace settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Erdogan could encourage intransigence on Baku’s part.

Russian nuclear energy in the Middle East heats up

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional energy

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkish lawmakers to vote on bill critics say will strangle media

Despite international warnings and the opposition’s efforts to kill the controversial bill, the parliament is set to consider Turkey's latest restrictive press law.

A woman holding a flower touches the picture of a suicide attack victim.

Seven years on, questions linger over deadliest terror attack in Turkey

Lawyers for victims' families blame neglect of duty on the part of authorities for the failure to capture fugitive suspects and prevent the attack in the first place.