The presidents of Russia and Turkey will hold a summit on September 29, one of the most anticipated political meetings of the year.
During the summit, the president of Russia and Turkey will review the latest developments, including Syria, natural gas, Ukraine and the Middle Eastern situation.
The talks between Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin in the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi come 18 months after their last face-to-face meeting in Moscow, during which time issues between the two countries have only accumulated. As Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told journalists on September 28, “We hope that with the meeting our president will have with Mr Putin, a return to peace will be possible as at the beginning of the agreement. Ankara is abiding by the principles of the agreement reached with Russia.
Under a 2019 agreement between Ankara and Moscow, Russian and Syrian troops were to remove YPG Syrian Kurdish militants from the border.
S-400 missiles
After Turkey bought Russian S-400 missile defence batteries in 2019, the US rolled sanctions. Since then, Washington threats of further action if it bought more Russian equipment.
Washington says the S-400s pose a threat to its F-35 fighter jets and to NATO’s defence systems. Turkey argues it was unable to procure air defence systems from any NATO ally on good terms.
Now, that looks to have been a mistake as Turkey finds itself in a vulnerable position with the world facing gas shortages and skyrocketing prices impacting the global economy.
