US Aims to Break Turkey-Russia Relations, Turkish Party Claims

The United States aims for a complete severance of relations between Turkey and Russia. The balance policy pursued by Ankara is no longer stable, stated Hakan Topkurulu, vice president of the Turkish Vatan (Homeland) Party, to RIA Novosti.

Turkey's reluctance to join Western anti-Russian sanctions worries the US, while the removal of Russia from the Swift interbank system creates a serious burden for Turkish companies, as previously reported by Posta newspaper.

According to Topkurulu, the development of relations between Turkey and Russia is of strategic importance for both countries and the entire world. He added that the US exerts pressure on all countries maintaining relations with Russia to isolate and weaken Moscow.

“Turkey is one of those countries. From the very beginning, it has maintained a balance in its relations with Russia and NATO. Such a policy is not stable. The US wants a complete break from Ankara. Turkey is trying to continue its relations with Russia, which are very important for Ankara, especially in the fields of energy, tourism, and agriculture,” emphasized the politician.

Earlier, Turkey's presidential spokesperson, now the head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Ibrahim Kalin, stated that sanctions by Turkey against Russia would primarily backfire on Ankara itself.

Repeatedly, Russian officials have declared that the country will overcome the sanctions pressure that the West began to apply several years ago and continues to intensify. Moscow noted that the West lacks the courage to recognize the failure of sanctions against Russia. Opinions have been voiced in Western countries that anti-Russian sanctions are ineffective.