The NATO summit in Vilnius, which became memorable with the pose of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Joe Biden, has ended.
The most significant outcome of the summit was Türkiye giving the green light to Sweden's NATO membership. Looking at the discussions, it appears that "relations with Türkiye" will continue to be a topic of conversation in the upcoming days. This is because the international media largely suggests that Türkiye has "shifted its axis," distancing itself from Russia and moving closer to the Western bloc.
As evidence supporting this observation, Ankara's silence during the Wagner uprising, permitting Ukrainian neo-Nazi commanders in Türkiye to return to their countries without informing Russia, and ultimately, endorsing Sweden's NATO membership after Finland are cited.
It is clear that all these developments are against Moscow. However, statements from the Kremlin indicate that Russian President Vladimir Putin understands Türkiye's conditions.
"Türkiye has obligations toward NATO, and we are aware of that," said Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, pointing out that Russia and Türkiye have differences but also share some common interests, adding that Moscow wants to enhance its relationship with Ankara further.
It is a highly realistic observation. Both countries have numerous ongoing joint projects in trade, industry and the military fields. Türkiye is one of the few Western bloc countries where Russia can "breathe." Russia and Türkiye are vital neighbors for each other's economies. Burning bridges and cutting ties is not an easy task.
In fact, this realistic approach can also be felt in the Western bloc's perception of Türkiye-Russia relations. The West turns a blind eye to Ankara not activating the embargoes against Russia to prevent a complete breakdown of dialogue channels with Putin.
This is because Erdoğan is one of the few leaders in whom Putin places his trust. The Western bloc does not want to lose this valuable and reliable contact. Achievements such as the landmark Grain Corridor and historic prisoner exchange were products of Erdoğan's unique balance policy, which received praise from the United Nations.
Looking at this situation, it doesn't seem that there is a shift in Türkiye's position as claimed. Ankara has consistently maintained its stance from the beginning, striving for a resolution to the conflict. However, it is felt that the Western bloc, which treats Türkiye as a second-class member in Western institutions and pushes it toward alliance-seeking in the East, is revising its position.
After all, it is not Türkiye that has distanced itself, closed doors and shown hostility, and now seeks closeness.
Who was it that unlawfully removed Türkiye from the F-35 project, despite being one of NATO's founding members and safeguarding its most critical southeastern border? Who refused to provide Türkiye with Patriots and even considered modernizing its F-16s as dangerous?
And what about those who officially provided weapons to the PKK and its Syrian affiliate, the YPG, the terrorists responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people in Türkiye? Those who allowed the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ)-affiliated soldiers, responsible for the deaths of 251 people, to seek refuge in NATO bases and refused to extradite them to Türkiye for trial?
Not to mention the fact that the U.S. president, who now requests tolerance from Ankara for Sweden's NATO bid, was even talking about unseating the president of Türkiye before taking office...
It seems that they have accepted the reality that they will have to spend another five years with Erdoğan, whom they couldn't remove. Türkiye may not be a country that they can afford to disregard in the coming years. Therefore, it appears they have realized the need to fulfill, at least, their minimum responsibilities toward Türkiye.
It's a promising start.
