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Turkey

Turkey

January 1, 2026

Ankara 1:21 pm

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US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan gesture as they pose for a photo during a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war on Oct. 13, 2025 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

Analysis

Trump-Erdogan ties pay off for Turkey in 2025 as Ankara pushes for F-35s

Leader-level diplomacy between Ankara and Washington produced selective gains but failed to break the deadlock over defense sanctions imposed for Turkey’s S-400 purchase.

Ezgi Akin

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

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Analysis

Iran threats, flattery, unresolved gaps: What Trump really gave Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago

At their meeting at Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump heaped compliments on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but offered few concrete achievements.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

A picture taken at the port of Dilovasi, outside Istanbul, on June 20, 2019, shows the drilling ship Yavuz scheduled to search for oil and gas off Cyprus.

Turkey eyes offshore energy pact with Syria in 2026 amid East Med isolation

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has offered up details on a deal with Syria that could unsettle regional rivals in the gas-rich Eastern Mediterranean.

Latest News

Somalia’s president heads to Turkey as Israel’s Somaliland recognition rattles region

This aerial view shows residents waving Somaliland flags as they gather to celebrate Israel's announcement recognizing Somaliland's statehood in downtown Hargeisa, on Dec. 26, 2025.

Australian LNG deal marks latest step in Turkey's energy diversification push

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Analysis

Turkey's defense sector enters 2026 with naval progress — and unresolved vulnerabilities

Turkish naval forces patrol vessel TCG F 500 and an unidentified submarine (back) sail during a military naval parade on the Bosphorus in Istanbul on Oct. 29, 2023.

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

Turkey’s Defense Minister Yasar Guler, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Ibrahim Kalin, head of the Turkish National Intelligence Agency, met in Ankara on March 11, 2024.

Three top Turkey officials to visit Iraq as Erdogan threatens Kurdish militants

The officials’ visit signals a fresh drive to dial up pressure on the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which Ankara accuses of collaborating with Kurdish militants.

Mother and son boarding to the plane before their Egypt flight.

Uproar in Turkey as mother, son flee to US after fatal hit-and-run

Turkey seeks the pair’s extradition from the United States amid public fury.

BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey doubles down on coal despite European efforts to decarbonize

Turkey has been importing around three quarters of its coal from Russia as prices have fallen since the Ukraine war began in Feb. 2022.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken takes part in a meeting with Turkey's foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, in Washington, DC, on March 8, 2024.

Analysis

New visits, full momentum: Can Turkey and US go beyond transactionalism?

US-Turkey ties are heading in a positive direction, but it’s too soon to be optimistic, according to one expert.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MARCH 08: President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to the media during a joint press conference with President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky on March 08, 2024 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Turkey’s Erdogan hosts Zelenskyy, hopeful on Ukraine-Russia compromise

Zelenskyy’s visit to Turkey comes one week after that of Lavrov, and as Ankara is trying to find a compromise between Moscow and Kyiv on a Black Sea mechanism.

HASSAN ALI ELMI/AFP via Getty Images

After defense deal, Turkey and Somalia ink energy accord amid Somaliland tensions

Turkey is hailing its new agreement with Somalia as it works to enhance its presence in the Horn of Africa.

Visitors view a Bayraktar TB3 Armed Unmanned Aerial System on display at the UMEX Exhibition showcasing drones, robotics, and unmanned sytems at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre in Abu Dhabi on January 23, 2024. (Photo by Ryan LIM / AFP) (Photo by RYAN LIM/AFP via Getty Images)

Morocco turns to Turkey for weapons imports as Israel ties strain over Gaza

Francisco Serrano

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan visits the Flamingo Marine Base in Port Sudan on Aug. 28, 2023.

Sudan’s army ready for 'indirect' talks with Hemedti’s RSF via Libya, Turkey

The Sudanese foreign minister said authorities agreed to Libyan- and Turkish-led indirect negotiations with the Rapid Support Forces, amid fears the internal conflict will turn into a proxy war between major international and regional countries.

Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan speaks during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela in Caracas on Feb. 24, 2024.

Turkey’s Fidan to meet Blinken in Washington as US ties strengthen

Hakan Fidan's meeting with Blinken comes on the heels of his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum.

GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey detains seven Mossad suspects as ties with Israel fray

Among the detainees is a former Turkish officer, according to local reports.

In this handout photo provided by the Palestinian Press Office (PPO), Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on January 12, 2015 in Ankara, Turkey (Photo by Thaer Ghanaim/PPO via Getty Images)

Abbas in Turkey: Gaza aid, Hamas-Fatah reconciliation on agenda with Erdogan

Analysts believe the pair also discussed post-cease-fire scenarios in Gaza.

Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin.

Turkey spy chief Kalin to meet CIA’s Burns, discuss Syria on first US visit

In addition to bilateral ties, the Gaza and Russia-Ukraine wars will top the agenda of the Turkish intelligence chief’s meetings with his US counterpart and other US officials.