President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the West's attitude toward Russia was not "right," adding that they are following a "policy of provocation" toward Moscow amid the ongoing war and the energy crisis in Europe.
"I can clearly say that I do not find the attitude of the West (toward Russia) right. Because there is a West that follows a policy based on provocation," Erdoğan said in a joint news conference with Serbian President Aleksander Vucic on Wednesday, after the European Union and G-7 nations proposed a price cap on Russian gas.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier threatened to halt all supplies if the European Union took such a step, raising the risk of rationing in some of the world's richest countries this winter.
Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine this February, Türkiye has stressed it is following a "balanced" policy that has yielded dividends, such as the historic deal it brokered in Istanbul this July unblocking grain exports from Ukraine.
Erdoğan added that it does not seem the Russia-Ukraine war will end "anytime soon," adding: "I say to those who underestimate Russia, you are doing it wrong. Russia is not a country that can be underestimated."
The president also reiterated Ankara's balanced policy between Russia and Ukraine to help solve the crisis.
The Turkish policy of keeping lines of diplomacy open with Russia has also resulted in Türkiye hosting the highest-level meetings of officials from Moscow and Kyiv since the war begin.
Vucic said that Serbia had asked Turkey to allow it to transfer electricity imports from Azerbaijan he estimated at around 2 gigawatt hours (GWH).
On Aug. 22, Vucic and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliev agreed over energy imports by Belgrade on unspecified terms. The Balkan country generates around 70% of its electricity needs in coal-fired power plants.
"I have asked him (Erdoğan) to help us and allocate space ... for the transfer of Azeri electricity," he said.
Serbia is almost entirely dependent on Russian gas, but it wants to diversify supplies and plans to start importing natural gas from Azerbaijan in 2023.
Vucic said the coming winter in Europe may prove to be "a very cold one" due to an energy crisis stemming from the war in Ukraine. Although Belgrade condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it has refused to impose sanctions on Moscow.
"If one really thinks to defeat Russia militarily (in Ukraine), then we will have to prepare not only for a cold winter but a polar winter," Vucic said.
Serbia also plans to buy Türkiye's Bayraktar armed drones from 2023, Vucic said, adding that it would invest hundreds of millions of euros in the deal. He did not elaborate further.
