It is expected that in 2026, 10% of the electricity consumption of all of Turkey will come from the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, a pharaonic construction financed by a Russian company, on Turkish soil, which was started jointly by Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and that in 2023 It was inaugurated in a pompous ceremony in the midst of the invasion of Ukraine.
This is just one example of the close relationship that exists between the president of Turkey and Putin. The video report that accompanies this article explains the interests that both countries share, and that have facilitated their role as mediator between Russia and Western countries.
Erdogan has played his cards according to the needs of his country, and that has involved opening the doors to Russian tourism and not economically sanctioning the neighboring country. But while the Turkish leader met with Putin, he also met with Volodomir Zelensky, offering him essential military material during the beginning of the Ukrainian defense against the Russian invasion.
The video shows the two sides of the president, his willingness to establish himself as a mediating leader and reveals the unique powers granted to him by the Montreux Convention, an almost century-old document in the Black Sea region. Like Istanbul, Erdogan moves between two waters, and has learned to make moves for his own interests.
