Turkey's Erdogan Demands Russia Must Return Crimea To Ukraine

While some people think Turkey is an ally to Russia, the reality is that this "friendship" is more often shaky and could perhaps even be seen as a facade ready to collapse at any moment.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday reminded the world that his country firmly reflects NATO's view of the Ukraine war. He said in video message to 4th Crimea Platform happening in Kiev, a Ukrainian government sponsored event, that the return of Crimea to Ukraine is "a requirement of international law."

"Our support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence is unwavering. The return of Crimea to Ukraine is a requirement of international law," Erdogan declared, while also stressing ongoing support for Crimean Tatar rights.

He said of the minority ethnic group commonly viewed as Turkish: "I believe that additional steps will continue to be taken to strengthen the rights of the Crimean Tatar Turks in the upcoming period."

Turkey has long denounced not only historic persecution of the Tatars at the hands of Russians which reaches back to the 18th-19th centuries, but also the alleged persecution following Russia's 2014 takeover of the peninsula. Erdogan stressed before the conference that Tatars must be able to live "freely, securely, and peacefully in their own homeland."

Erdoğan added of the broader conflict, "Our sincere wish is for the war to end with a fair and lasting peace based on Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence."

The Kremlin was quick to respond, saying the following within hours after Erdogan's speech:

"Subjects of the Russian Federation are not subject to negotiation," Zakharova told reporters who asked about Erdogan’s remarks during the press briefing at the Foreign Ministry, adding that anyone who wants to address the issue needs to read the Russian constitution first. 

Residents of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol voted overwhelmingly to rejoin Russia in March 2014, shortly after a US-backed coup in Kiev overthrew the Ukrainian government in favor of militant nationalists. Neither Ukraine nor its Western backers have ever accepted the results of the referendum, declaring it to be an illegal “annexation.”

This isn't the first time that the Turkish leader has expressed such a firm position, which has not made Russia happy. Turkey has also since near the start of the conflict supplied Ukraine forces with armed drones.

Turkey was central along with UN negotiators in securing the 2022-2023 Black Sea Grain Initiative, and has been a rare open line of communication to the Kremlin within NATO. It has also positioned itself as a potential future mediator of peace.

But Erdogan's Crimea stance is yet another reminder that Turkey in the end is still a powerful NATO member, and with a Washington relationship that's more impactful for Ankara than its ties with Moscow.

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Meanwhile, using Erdogan should be more consistent...