Turkey - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Turkey

Turkey

July 10, 2026

Ankara 6:00 pm

28°C

AFP via Getty Images

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.

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.

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

Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland and Jubaland states reportedly declined to join the talks, as Ankara is ramping up efforts to shore up support for Somalia’s federal institutions.

Getty Images

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

Top Democratic lawmakers say the ball is in Ankara’s court on rejoining the US-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, but suggest that Turkey offshoring its Russian-made S-400 system won’t be enough.

Latest News

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

Trump declares MoU with Iran 'over' as Hegseth cancels trip to Israel

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (not shown) for bilateral talks at Beştepe Presidential Compound during the NATO Summit on July 08, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. Leaders from NATO's 32 countries, plus NATO allies like Ukraine, gathered in the Turkish capital to discuss a range of issues involving spending targets, defense industrial production, and support for Ukraine, among other topics. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Explainer

Why Trump bid to lift CAATSA sanctions on Turkey faces complicated path

US President Donald Trump walks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a state arrival ceremony at the Bestepe Presidential Complex for the annual NATO Summit on July 7, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey.

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 President Tayyip Erdogan and Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro attend a news conference after an agreement-signing ceremony between Turkey and Venezuela at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela December 3, 2018. REUTERS/Manaure Quintero - RC149F4F7600

Intel: How Venezuela is driving US, Turkey further apart

Iraqi and Turkish soldiers wave flags at the Habur Border Gate between Turkey and Iraq in this still image taken from video, October 31, 2017. IHA/ via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. TURKEY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN TURKEY. PART NO ACCESS TURKEY.? - RC19E8A7C400

Storming of base in Iraq a grave signal for Turkey

A violent protest by locals at a Turkish military base in Iraqi Kurdistan heralds a challenging turning point for Turkey’s cross-border drive to combat Kurdish militants.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - SEPTEMBER 28: Balik Lokantasi restaurant's kitchen chief serves fish soup, in Karakoy district on September 28, 2006 in Istanbul, Turkey. Balik Lokantasi means Fish Restaurant in Turkish, as its name, it is a unequally fresh fish plates comes from the see or the Bosporus every day. its owner, Mr. Ozkaraman mentions that he doesn't have a refrigerator, when the fresh fish are finished he closes up the restaurant. (Photo by Yoray Liberman/Getty Images)

Turkish menus celebrate cherished regional soups

In Turkey, soup is more than a dish; it is the bearer of a vast culture.

People buy vegetables at a bazaar in Ankara, Turkey August 16, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1C13720540

Turkish grocers pull peppers, eggplants after Erdogan warns of price 'treason'

The Turkish leader is pressuring retailers to drop their prices to tame inflation, singling out grocers for high prices on some of the country’s staple foods.

Maduro gives Erdogan a new lifeline

President Erdogan's vocal support for Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro is being echoed in the Turkish media, with TV channels broadcasting programs on past CIA coups.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan receives military honours upon his arrival at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela December 3, 2018. REUTERS/Manaure Quintero - RC14DB2C38B0

How Venezuela has united Erdogan, Turkish left

In the ongoing crisis in Venezuela, Turkey's left is finding itself aligned with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s foreign policy.

U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen at his home in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 10, 2017. REUTERS/Charles Mostoller - RC1EF41BAB10

Ankara rounds up more 'Gulenist' military pilots

Turkey's crackdown on accused followers of exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen is still going strong, with an avalanche of purges and detentions that show no signs of abating.

Agnes Callamard (R), UN special rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions, stands behind barriers in front of of the Saudi Consulate, in Istanbul, on January 29, 2019 during her visit as part of an inquiry into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was reportedly killed inside the Saudi Consulate on October 2018. (Photo by Cemal YURTTAS / AFP) / Turkey OUT (Photo credit should read CEMAL YURTTAS/AFP/Getty Images)

Intel: How Turkey is responding to the UN probe of Khashoggi's murder

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro attend an agreement-signing ceremony between Turkey and Venezuela at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela December 3, 2018. REUTERS/Manaure Quintero - RC1A1B7C8000

What is driving Ankara’s love for Nicolas Maduro?

Coup attempts in any country — democratic or not — continue to act as emotional tripwires for Erdogan and his supporters, especially if these attempts are supported by the West.

Turkish soldiers stand next to a tank near the Turkish-Syrian border in Kilis province, Turkey January 31, 2018. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RC15B613B1F0

Kurdish leaders scrabble for footing as Ankara pounds war drums

Turkey says it has completed preparations to intervene in Syria's Manbij and the Kurdish-controlled area east of the Euphrates River.

Turkish military vehicles ride at the Bab el-Salam border crossing between the Syrian town of Azaz and the Turkish town of Kilis, in Syria January 1, 2019. Picture taken January 1, 2019. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC1AD1B9E6A0

Ankara’s planned operation in northeast Syria remains murky

Whether Ankara will stage an operation east of Euphrates depends on diplomatic efforts with Washington and Moscow.

A woman casts her vote as others wait in line at a polling station in Ankara March 30, 2014. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan looks set to win Sunday's municipal elections that have become a crisis referendum on his 10-year rule as he tries to ward off graft allegations and stem a stream of damaging security leaks. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - GM1EA3U1L4001

Shadow of foul play descends early on Turkey's local polls

Turkey’s municipal polls are still two months away, but the opposition is already alarmed over possible vote manipulation.