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Turkey

June 27, 2026

Ankara 2:00 am

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One of the first three US-made F-35 aircraft in Polish Air Force colors taxis along the runway at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Lask, central Poland, while fire-fighting vehicles perform a water salute on May 22, 2026.

Trump hints at F-35 breakthrough with Turkey ahead of NATO summit

The administration is moving ahead with planned jet engine sales to Ankara ahead of next month’s NATO summit despite congressionally mandated sanctions on Turkey's defense industry.

Responders arrive to a demolished building at San Bernardino after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean on June 24, 2026 in Caracas, Venezuela.

Israel, Turkey, Iran offer aid as Venezuela’s 2 quakes kill at least 188

Iran, Turkey and Israel were among the first countries to offer assistance to earthquake-hit Venezuela despite their varying diplomatic relationships with Caracas.

Latest News

Turkey detains 233 ahead of NATO summit, including LGBTQ+ activist Yildiz Tar

Demonstrators take part in a rally against the upcoming NATO Summit early July in Ankara, on June 13, 2026.

Culture

Amid political setbacks, Kurds shine at the World Cup

Germany's forward #26 Deniz Undav (2nd R), an ethnic Kurd, scores his team's first goal during the 2026 World Cup Group E football match between Germany and Ivory Coast at the Toronto Stadium in Toronto on June 20, 2026.

Analysis

Turkey eyes gains from US-Iran deal as Ankara balances Tehran, Washington

This photograph shows a Turkish national flag at the Razi-Kapikoy border crossing with Iran next to a black flag on the Iranian side, following the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in eastern Turkey on March 2, 2026.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

Supporters of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu react during an election rally for Turkey's November 1 parliamentary elections in Ankara, Turkey, October 29, 2015. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX1TTUN

Why Turkey’s secular opposition now references Prophet Muhammad

The fact that the CHP now defends human rights with references to “our beloved prophet” is a remarkable new reality in Turkish politics.

Riot police detain a demonstrator during a protest against the suspension of teachers from classrooms over alleged links with Kurdish militants, in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, Turkey, September 9, 2016. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar - RTX2OUAT

Kurds become new target of Ankara’s post-coup purges

Ankara’s draconian crackdown on the Gulen community is now moving into a new direction, targeting Kurds accused of collaborating with armed Kurdish militants.

Turkish riot police use water cannon to disperse Kurdish demonstrators protesting against the removal of the local mayor from office over suspected links with Kurdish militants, in Diyarbakir, Turkey, September 11, 2016. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSN88G

Ankara hardening anti-PKK strategy

Turkey's strategy against the Gulen movement has worked so well, Ankara looks to be extending it to eradicate the Kurdistan Workers Party as well.

A member of the Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra fires during clashes with Syrian forces in eastern al-Ghouta, near Damascus April 8, 2014. Picture taken April 8, 2014. REUTERS/Ammar Al-Bushy ( SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR3KIUC

Kerry: Going after al-Qaeda in Syria 'not a concession to anybody'

US Secretary of State John Kerry warns armed groups that "it’s wise to separate" from Jabhat al-Nusra.

fRONT l-r: China's President Xi Jinping, US President Barack Obama, Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, French President Francois Hollande, and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (far R) walks following the G20 leaders' family photo in Hangzhou on September 4, 2016.

World leaders are gathering in Hangzhou for the 11th G20 Leaders Summit from September 4 to 5. / AFP / Greg BAKER (Photo credit should read GREG BAKER/AF

Erdogan’s 'win-win' on the world stage

Lately, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been a master poker player with global leaders: He not only plays his own cards well, but he can also see the cards in the hands of others.

Turkish Alevis make v-signs, hold national flags and portraits of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and Hadrat Ali Ibn Abu Talib, son-in-law of Prophet Mohammed, during a rally in Ankara November 9, 2008. Thousands of Turkish Alevis marched in Ankara on Sunday in their first massive demonstration to call for an end to discrimination by the government and compulsory religious classes. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY) - RTXAF2X

How will Turkey's Alevis react to Syrian gambit?

After years of facing pressure from the state and the country's Sunni majority, Turkish military involvement in Syria has caused Turkey's Alevi minority further problems in their relations with the AKP government.

A member of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) patrols in the border town of Jarablus, Syria, August 31, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2NQ2X

Turkey reaches critical crossroads in Syria

Turkey has an important decision to make now that it has helped Free Syrian Army troops win a major battle for border control in northern Syria.

Pro-Kurdish politicians wearing t-shirts featuring Abdullah Ocalan gather to start a hunger strike to demand the right to visit the jailed PKK militant leader Ocalan, in Diyarbakir, Turkey, September 5, 2016. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar - RTX2O6JE

Is Abdullah Ocalan key to peace between Turkey, PKK?

Many Kurds believe Abdullah Ocalan holds the key to peace between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers Party, but does he retain the power to deliver?

Fighters of the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) stand inside a building near Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria, June 17, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo - RTX2HMHI

US backing ensures Arab-Kurd alliance in Syria will survive

Liwa al-Tahrir walking out of its alliance with the Kurdish People's Protection Units caused plenty of excitement in Turkey, but did it really change anything in Syria?

A picture taken on August 2, 2016 shows a picture of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) on a billboard and a mask bearing a picture of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen set up on a dummy at the Kizilay Square in Ankara during a protest against the failed military coup, on August 2, 2016.
Erdogan said on August 2, 2016 last month's attempted coup was a scenario drawn up from outside Turkey, in an allusion to possible foreign involvement in the plot. Erdogan, who blames the plot on the US-based prea

Why Turkey’s Gulenist purge is going way too far

The Gulenist threat to Turkish democracy was not a myth, yet the anti-Gulenist purge itself is now also a major threat if it continues along the same path.

European Union (L) and Turkish flags fly outside a hotel in Istanbul, Turkey May 4, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo - RTX2EIB4

EU tries to mend fences with Turkey following attempted coup

European officials stream to Turkey to overcome tensions that are putting arrangements such as the migration agreement at risk, but serious differences remain.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) attends a ceremony at the Ataturk mausoleum to mark the 94th anniversary of Turkeys Victory Day in Ankara on August 30, 2016. / AFP / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

How Army Day highlighted growing repercussions of Turkey's failed coup

The forlorn observance of the traditionally joyous Victory Day in Turkey points to further polarization between conservatives and Kemalist secularists since the failed coup.