{"id":1400907,"date":"2022-03-25T17:00:12","date_gmt":"2022-03-25T21:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1400907"},"modified":"2022-03-25T17:00:15","modified_gmt":"2022-03-25T21:00:15","slug":"turkeys-erdogan-wont-sanction-russian-natural-gas-i-cant-leave-my-people-in-the-cold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/turkeys-erdogan-wont-sanction-russian-natural-gas-i-cant-leave-my-people-in-the-cold\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkey&#039;s Erdogan Won&#039;t Sanction Russian Natural Gas: &#039;I Can\u2019t Leave my People in the Cold&#039;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fturkeys-erdogan-wont-sanction-russian-natural-gas-i-cant-leave-my-people-in-the-cold%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1400907&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\">President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey told reporters Friday that joining other NATO countries in sanctioning Russia for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine was impossible because his economy is simply too dependent on Moscow.<\/p>\n<p>Erdogan also denied seeking to cancel a deal with Moscow to buy\u00a0S-400 air defense missiles, an agreement that violates NATO protocol as all armory among alliance nations must be interoperable.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>Erdogan\u2019s resistance to engage in punitive actions against Russia stands in significant contrast to other NATO members states, most prominently the United States, the United Kingdom, and Poland, who have enthusiastically urged the world to work to limit Russia\u2019s international profits to prevent the funds from helping continue the war in Ukraine. It is also notable given Turkey\u2019s complex relationship with Russia, which vacillates between economic partnership and strain over Turkey\u2019s NATO status, Erdogan\u2019s Islamist ideology, and historical strife between the two countries.<\/p>\n<p>The latter set of facts has made Turkey one of the top points of contact during the war for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who, Erdogan insisted at a NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium, this week, had personally requested Turkey mediate the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.<\/p>\n<p>Erdogan insisted to journalists on a flight back from the NATO summit that he had no plans to participate in sanctions on Russia, according to Reuters.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe are buying nearly half of the natural gas we use from Russia. Separately, we are making our Akkuyy Nuclear Power Plant with Russia. We cannot set these aside,\u201d Erdogan reportedly <a href=\"https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2022\/03\/25\/-Nothing-can-be-done-about-placing-sanctions-on-Russia-Turkey-s-Erdogan\">said<\/a>. \u201cSo there is nothing that can be done here. We must maintain our sensitivity on this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFirstly, I can\u2019t leave my people in the cold of the winter. Secondly, I cannot halt our industry. We must defend these,\u201d the president explained.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-1 paragraph\" data-aa-component=\"paragraph\" data-allow-readmode=\"\">In remarks published elsewhere from the same flight, Erdogan reportedly <a href=\"https:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/News\/middle-east\/2022\/03\/25\/Position-on-procurement-of-Russian-S-400s-unchanged-Turkey-s-President-Erdogan\">described<\/a> the purchase of Russian S-400 missile defense systems initially <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/middle-east\/2019\/07\/08\/erdogan-confirms-russian-s-400-missile-systems-en-route-to-turkey\/\">announced<\/a> in 2018 as a \u201cdone deal\u201d that he had no power to cancel in light of the current war. Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-1 paragraph\" data-aa-component=\"paragraph\" data-allow-readmode=\"\">The current war escalated out of Ukraine\u2019s eastern Donbas region, where Russia had been \u2013 extensive evidence suggests \u2013 arming and supporting pro-Russian separatists for nearly a decade \u2013 in late February after Putin announced that he would recognize those separatists as official governments. Putin announced that Russia would recognize the two areas of the Donbas not as parts of Ukraine, but as the \u201cDonetsk People\u2019s Republic\u201d and \u201cLuhansk People\u2019s Republic,\u201d and that those two countries had requested Russian military intervention to fight off Ukraine\u2019s \u201cNazis.\u201d Putin has branded the war a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/clips\/2022\/03\/03\/russian-fm-sergey-lavrov-ukraines-zelensky-a-neo-nazi-president\/\">de-Nazification<\/a>\u201d of Ukraine, notably omitting that Ukraine\u2019s president is Jewish.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-1 paragraph\" data-aa-component=\"paragraph\" data-allow-readmode=\"\">Erdogan has endeavored in the past month not to overly antagonize Russia while still expressing support for Ukraine. His remarks at the NATO summit on Thursday were among the least negative towards Russia.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe will continue our talks with both Mr. [Vladimir] Putin and Mr. Zelensky from now on as well. All our efforts aim to create an atmosphere of peace by bringing together the two leaders,\u201d Erdogan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tccb.gov.tr\/en\/news\/542\/136244\/-we-are-in-close-contact-with-russia-and-ukraine-with-a-view-to-putting-an-immediate-end-to-the-war-\">told<\/a> the summit, according to the office of the president of Turkey.<\/p>\n<p>Erdogan did object once again to Russia\u2019s illegal colonization of Ukraine\u2019s Crimean peninsula and \u201cstrongly reiterated our [Turkey\u2019s] support for Ukraine\u2019s territorial integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cOur stance on Russia\u2019s attack on Ukraine is clear and consistent with this principled policy of ours. The destruction and humanitarian tragedy caused by the war are evident,\u201d Erdogan asserted. \u201cThe war-torn cities, hospitals, schools and houses that have nearly turned into wrecks, and weeping refugees, who packed all their assets in one suitcase, have all reminded us once again of the bitter face of wars\u201d:<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20023962\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2022\/02\/GettyImages-1238745675.png\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ukrainian police officers outside a residential building damaged by a missile on February 25, 2022, in Kyiv, Ukraine (Pierre Crom\/Getty Images).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Erdogan claimed that meaningful Turkish involvement as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia was \u201cMr. Zelensky\u2019s demand which he has made during our talks\u201d and claimed Zelensky personally \u201cwants Turkey to assume an intermediary role.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is out of the question that Russia disagrees with that. During the meeting between the foreign ministers, a positive approach was displayed regarding this issue,\u201d Erdogan said. \u201cIt is our wish that a leaders\u2019 level meeting will be held. And should there be such a demand or proposal, we have already said that we stand ready for such a step by holding a meeting in Ankara, or Istanbul, or another city of ours.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>Zelensky has repeatedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ukrinform.net\/rubric-ato\/3436352-zelensky-ready-to-discuss-with-putin-issues-of-temporarily-occupied-territories-even-at-first-meeting.html\">called<\/a> to meet with Putin in-person since the assault on Kyiv began in late February. The Kremlin has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/03\/19\/world\/europe\/putin-zelensky-turkey.html\">rejected<\/a> the call to have the two heads of state discuss the war personally.<\/p>\n<p>Even before the latest war began, Zelensky had long called for a direct, bilateral engagement between himself and Putin. The two leaders <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/europe\/2019\/12\/10\/ukraine-frustrated-zelensky-calls-putin-talks-difficult-putin-says-im-happy\/\">met<\/a>\u00a0for the first time in 2019 for talks, which were chaperoned by the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, and then-chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel. Zelensky complained to reporters that the \u201cNormandy Four\u201d format, as it was then referred to, was frustrating and fruitless.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLook, it\u2019s very difficult to negotiate [with Putin], but today there were moments when we agreed on something, on certain things,\u201d Zelensky said at the time, adding:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>That\u2019s because he dissects every question into details \u2026 and then we begin to even consider every word. So yes, this is difficult. I\u2019m just a different person, I\u2019m a quick person. I thought that we could just sit down real quick and have a deal. \u2026 But it\u2019s different here, it\u2019s different biomechanics, so to speak.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Putin described himself as \u201chappy\u201d with the engagement at the time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-1 paragraph\" data-aa-component=\"paragraph\" data-allow-readmode=\"\">In mid-February, before hostilities against Kyiv itself began, Erdogan told reporters he had hoped to host a meeting between Zelensky and Putin in Turkey.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-1 paragraph\" data-aa-component=\"paragraph\" data-allow-readmode=\"\">\u201cDuring our meeting, President Zelensky noted that he was positive about the trilateral meeting in the format of Putin, Zelensky and Erdogan,\u201d the president <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ukrinform.net\/rubric-polytics\/3405217-erdogan-hopes-to-arrange-zelenskyputin-meeting-in-turkey.html\">said<\/a>, referring to himself in the third person. \u201cIf Putin has a positive attitude to this issue, I hope we will be able to organize such a meeting in Istanbul or Ankara. In addition, I want to know Putin\u2019s opinion during a phone call.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-1 paragraph\" data-aa-component=\"paragraph\" data-allow-readmode=\"\"><em>Follow Frances Martel on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/francesimartel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/francesimartel\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1648119860490000&#038;usg=AOvVaw3qazzf2-Idylj4rkHk1nNX\">Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/francesmartel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/twitter.com\/francesmartel&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1648119860490000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2zh1TgxtkEYKTcjMAS3Xex\">Twitter.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey told reporters Friday that joining other NATO countries in sanctioning Russia for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine was impossible because his economy is simply<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1400907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1400907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1400907"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1400907\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1400907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1400907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1400907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}