Erdogan raises Ukraine-Russia talks issue in order to appear to Turkish voters as a global player

Journalist Vitaliy Portnikov shared his thoughts with Espreso TV.

According to Vitaliy Portnykov, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan understands that there cannot be any negotiations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation at the moment, but he strives to maintain the image of a person who is stuck between opposing sides.

"It is beneficial for Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to receive money from Russian oligarchs and officials, to be in a special position. He does not want to go into conflict with Putin, but his interests are not Putin's interests. They are competitors in many aspects: Syria, Central Asia, Ukraine, because the Crimea issue for Erdoğan is domestically politically fundamental. That's why he constantly puts forward the slogan of negotiations so that the Turkish voter can see that their president is a global player," the journalist emphasized.