Vladimir Putin Will Definitely Refuse to Go to Ankara, Says International Relations Expert

Grigor Balasanyan, an associate professor at Yerevan State University and an international relations expert, discussed Turkey's mediating role in the resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict during an interview with Sputnik Armenia.

According to Balasanyan, Erdoğan is attempting to show that Turkey is a significant country capable of mediating between the two Black Sea neighbors, Russia and Ukraine. However, he believes that Russia will not engage in Turkey's new game.

“Vladimir Putin will definitely refuse to go to Ankara because Turkey acts as an interested party in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and has a specific opinion that is fundamentally anti-Russian, as it considers Crimea to be an inseparable part of Ukraine. Turkey is supplying 'Bayraktars' to Ukraine, which will undoubtedly be used in case of an escalation of the conflict in Donbas, and it declares that Russia cannot prevent Ukraine from developing military-technical cooperation,” Balasanyan stated.

In Balasanyan's view, Russia itself can become a mediator in any conflict, and Turkey does not hold the significance in Russia's eyes that could compel Vladimir Putin or the Russian political elite to “push Turkey's agenda on the Ukraine issue.”

The expert noted that for a long time, Erdoğan's statements and actions have not aligned; he was delayed regarding the Kazakhstan issue and is unable to forgive himself, thus wishes to salvage his image at least concerning Ukraine, yet he is fully aware that Russia will never agree to such a format.

It is noteworthy that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan invited Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Turkey to resolve existing disagreements between the two countries. This was announced by the spokesperson for the Turkish leader, Ibrahim Kalin. Additionally, Kalin stated that Erdoğan will visit Ukraine in the coming weeks for negotiations with Zelensky.