In Turkey, Russia is not only exporting its nuclear knowledge or its anti-missile defense systems. Moscow also inspires Ankara for its Potemkin ceremonies: on April 27, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan competed for the star (by videoconference) for the inauguration of “Turkey’s first nuclear power plant”, built by the Russian giant Rosatom.
But behind the pomp, only one unit is ready, and the plant will not be completed before 2028. Worse, although built on Turkish soil, it will bring nothing or almost nothing to its citizens: Turkey will have to buy from Russia, fixed price, 70% of the electricity produced by its reactors for fifteen years. Erdogan buys an image of modernizer, Putin picks up the profits.
The shadow of Russian manipulation on the Turkish election
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the duo has orchestrated a subtle choreography: the tsar bombards the civilians, the sultan poses as a peacemaker. Covertly, Turkey has become the favored passageway for dirty Russian money and a major player in circumventing Western sanctions against Moscow.
Putin therefore has no interest in seeing his ally Erdogan leave his throne. As the head of the Kremlin knows about puppet elections, the shadow of Russian manipulation is already hanging over the Turkish ballot on May 14. In Istanbul, a Western diplomat confided to us his fear of a scenario where Erdogan would be re-elected thanks to the flagrant help of Putin, with massive consequences for Ukraine, immigration and NATO. He was also sorry to find so little echo in European capitals.
Because Europe is pursuing its grand silent strategy: saying nothing so as not to feed Erdogan’s anti-Western discourse. Logical, but too light. The time would however be ideal to offer a European perspective to the 64 million Turkish voters, to announce a resumption of negotiations on “Schengen visas”, or simply to reassure civil society of the importance of our friendship, beyond its leaders . Walling oneself in silence amounts to playing Erdogan’s game. And so from the Kremlin.