Erdogan To Talk Up Mediator Role In First Ukraine Visit Tomorrow

Turkish President Recep Erdogan will visit Ukraine tomorrow for the first time since the war began amid increasingly scrutiny from the West over the strengthening relationship between Ankara and Moscow.

• A Turkish source familiar with the visit told Middle East Eye: “We have to maintain our balance, we don’t want to appear very close to Russia."
• Erdogan will meet Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky in Kyiv to discuss bilateral relations and then travel to Odesa for a potential meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to observe the operqation of the Black Sea grain corridors co-brokered by Turkey and the UN.
• Ragip Soylu in Ankara writes: "Since the invasion was launched in February, there has been an inflow of Russian citizens to Turkey, from oligarchs and their yachts to regular citizens, and growing bilateral trade with Moscow sparked by western sanctions. That has triggered suspicion that Moscow might try to circumvent sanctions via investing in or buying Turkish companies, including in the energy sector."
• Ankara has denied intent to aid Moscow bypassing sanctions and suggest that neutrality is central to their role as mediator and continues to walk a fine line between Moscow and Kyiv.
• Erdogan justifies the non-support of US-led sanctions on Russia saying that Turkey only follows directives issued by the UN. Opinion polls suggest that the Turkish public is generally supportive of Erdogan’s policy of “neutrality”.