Age of Betrayal: Turkey’s Erdogan Demands Russia Return Crimea to Ukraine

💭 On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — who was once called a “dear friend” by Vladimir Putin — reiterated his support for Kyiv and advocated for the return of the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula to Ukraine, as per a report by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency.

“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 in a video message to the Fourth Crimea Platform Leaders Summit.

In the address, Erdogan also said that Turkey has always been opposed to Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and he decried the persecution of the peninsula’s ethnic Tatar population that has occurred since Russia’s takeover in 2014.

“I believe that additional steps will continue to be taken to strengthen the rights of the Crimean Tatar Turks in the upcoming period,” Erdogan said, adding that “[Crimean Tatar Turks should live] freely, securely, and peacefully in their own homeland.”

💭 Kremlin says it disagrees with Turkey's Erdogan that Crimea should return to Kyiv's control

Russia completely disagrees with comments from Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that Crimea should return to Ukrainian control, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

Erdogan said this week that Turkish support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence was unwavering, and that the return of Crimea - which Russia seized from Ukraine and annexed in 2014 - was a requirement of international law.

Asked about Erdogan's comments, Peskov said the topic of Crimea "falls under the category of disagreements between us and our Turkish friends.
"Here we have completely divergent opinions. At the same time, we do not abandon our deliberate attempts to explain to our Turkish friends and colleagues our point of view, our position".

Peskov said that Erdogan was under pressure from the United States over its traditionally close economic ties with Moscow.