Turkey Has Not Allowed Those Who Wish to Ruin Relations with Russia, Says Erdogan

Turkey has always pursued a balanced policy and has not allowed those who wish to ruin relations with Russia to do so. This was stated by the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during a speech in Bayburt.

“From the very first day, we have been committed to a balanced policy, while the military lobby, using the opposition, has tried to throw us into the fire. We did not allow that to happen. By strengthening our relations with Ukraine, we have not given an opportunity to ruin our relations with Russia... We maintain close dialogue with Mr. Putin,” the head of state said.

He also reiterated his expectation that the President of Russia will visit Turkey in August. The day before, Erdogan held talks in Istanbul with Volodymyr Zelensky. After that, he indicated that he expected to have a face-to-face meeting with Putin in the coming one to two months.