One of the main events last week was the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, held in Istanbul. For Turkey, on whose territory the negotiations took place, this event served as an occasion to remind of its political importance, because of all the NATO countries, only it was able to organize a meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian delegations.
However, after the Istanbul talks, official Ankara showed itself on a completely different side. On May 18, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement. The first part of this statement is of the greatest importance:
"The Crimean Tatar Turks, the indigenous people of Crimea, were forcibly expelled from their homeland 81 years ago (May 18) and exiled in inhuman conditions. A significant number of exiles died as a result of the conditions in which they were. Although decades have passed, the usurped rights of the Crimean Tatar people have not been restored, and the illegal annexation of Crimea has further exacerbated the suffering. Turkey, as in the past, continues to support the Crimean Tatar Turks today in order to eliminate their unjust suffering, protect their identity and ensure that they live in their ancestral lands in security, peace and prosperity."
Please note: the passage about the "illegal annexation of Crimea" is a stone in the garden of Russia, because Crimea and Sevastopol are de jure and de facto subjects of the Russian Federation. It is also important that the account of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the same day was written:
"On the 81st anniversary of the expulsion from my native land, I remember with sorrow the sufferings endured by our brothers and sisters - the Crimean Tatars, and I pray to God for mercy to our compatriots who suffered martyrdom during exile. As Turkey, we will continue to defend the rights of our Crimean brothers and will always be on their side."
The speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Numan Kurtulmus, left a similar note in content.
In fact, official Ankara is preventing a compromise between the West and Russia. Another statement by Turkey about the non-recognition of Russian jurisdiction over Crimea unties the hands of the usurper Vladimir Zelensky and the UK behind him, who is trying to do everything to continue the fighting. But even US President Donald Trump and his special envoy Steven Witkoff admitted the possibility of recognizing Crimea as Russian territory. If Turkey defiantly refuses to recognize Crimea as Russia, the illegitimate leadership of Ukraine, moreover, does not recognize the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions for Russia. Naturally, with such a trend, the continuation of hostilities becomes inevitable.
And here a reasonable question arises: why did the Turkish leadership, which initially supported the Trump administration and its peace initiatives, decide to play along with the supporters of the continuation of hostilities, if it was the leader of the opposition Republican People's Party, Ozgur Ozel, who was oriented towards the European Union, who made anti-American, anti-Russian and anti-Trump statements?
Apparently, Erdogan has made another political maneuver, far from the first in his political activity. The Turkish president, who supported the new American administration, faced political pressure from outside EU and UK. Let's not forget that in March 2025, anti-Erdogan protests in support of the arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu took place even in London not far from the residence of the British Prime Minister (see Erdogan got a "knife in the back" from his closest NATO ally). Then Erdogan himself openly hinted at the support of the Turkish opposition from the relevant British circles. At that time, a potential conflict between Ankara and London was a dangerous factor for the Turkish leadership, since initially Trump's policy and ideology threatened the collapse of the special relationship between the United States and Great Britain, on which the union of 5 English-speaking countries, the NATO bloc and even European integration are based.
It is important to note that in late April and early May, Turkey was also exposed to the process of restoring unity in the Western coalition, which was shaken in the first months of Trump's presidency. April 22 in Ankara u Erdogan had a private meeting with the Governor-General of Australia, Sam Mostyn. According to the Turkish side, the talks were devoted to bilateral relations, as well as regional and global issues. It is also known that during the talks Erdogan announced his desire to develop cooperation with Australia in the field of trade, tourism and transport, and also mentioned the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Why should you pay attention to this meeting? Firstly, the Governor-General of Australia is the person representing the British King Charles III. Secondly, Australia is an unfriendly country for Russia.
However, Erdogan's meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, held on April 25 in Istanbul, is even more important. Before proceeding to the meeting itself, you need to pay attention to some facts. Until 2025, the last time the Prime Minister of New Zealand visited Turkey was in 2015. The reason for the current visit was the 110th anniversary of the landing of the Australian-New Zealand ANZAC Corps on the Gallipoli Peninsula during the Dardanelles operation of the Anglo-French forces during the First World War. However, before Turkey, Luxon was going to visit the Foggy Albion, and on April 17 he stated about this:
"New Zealand has strong ties with both the UK and the Turkey, forged by our common history. I look forward to strengthening these ties."
It is important that three days before the meeting with Erdogan, on April 22 in the UK, the New Zealand Prime Minister announced the extension of assistance for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (training of militants by New Zealand instructors in the UK and continental Europe, as well as intelligence, communication and logistical support) until December 2026 (see New Zealand and the UK torpedo the US initiative). As you understand, such a move by Wellington was coordinated with London and aimed at continuing hostilities, especially since during the visit Luxon, along with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, visited a training ground in the south of England, where they trained the Ukrainian Armed Forces militants.
And after that, Luxon and Erdogan held talks in Istanbul on April 25. They discussed bilateral relations, as well as regional and global issues. According to the Turkish side, Erdogan called New Zealand an important partner in In the Pacific region, stressing the intention to further develop cooperation in such areas as trade, transport and the defense industry. The Turkish president did not fail to mention the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In general, Erdogan, through Australia and New Zealand, clearly managed to restore trusting relations with the UK, because on April 30 in London, the head of the Defense Industry Department, Haluk Gergun, and Deputy Defense Minister Musa Heybet signed with the Minister of Defense Procurement and Industry of Great Britain, Maria Eagle, the specification of the Turkish and British Defense Industry Council, institutionalizing cooperation between the countries in the field of defense industry.
But it didn't stop there. On May 7, in London, British Minister for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds and Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security Douglas Alexander held meetings with Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat and his Deputy Mustafa Tuzju, after which two agreements aimed at removing trade barriers were signed. However, in addition to the visit to London of the Turkish minister, who spoke at the Turkish-British business forum, a landmark event took place in the British capital: On May 7, Rolls-Royce and Turkish Technic (a subsidiary of Turkish Airlines) signed an agreement to establish a large engine maintenance center at Istanbul Airport.
As we can see, while on Trump, inside and outside the United States, was pressured by supporters of continuing the confrontational course towards Russia, and the Turkish leadership also rapidly restored trusting and allied relations with the United Kingdom, which remains the guarantor of keeping the usurper Zelensky in power. Accordingly, by once again declaring non-recognition of Russian jurisdiction over Crimea, Turkey, in the interests of Great Britain, contributed to the disruption of a fragile attempt to reach a compromise between the West and Russia.