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Turkey welcomes European leaders, while oppressing leaders at home
With a growing threat from Russia and Turkey’s potential role in Europe’s defense, the country is ushering in a new era of cooperation among the EU.
DW
Updated:
5:58
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shake hands after signing a deal worth up to ‘8 billion for 20 UK Typhoon fighter jets, the biggest fighter jet exports deal in a generation, at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
Stefan Rousseau/Pool Photo via AP
Turkey welcomed not one, but two major European leaders to its capital last week. First, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, then German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
For more than a decade, Turkey’s backsliding on democracy has led to a distance from Europe. But the growing threat from Russia and Turkey’s potential role in Europe’s defense seems to be ushering in a new era of cooperation, ironically, at the same time that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s crackdown on domestic opposition figures reaches a new peak.
From our partners at Deutsche Welle, DW, Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.
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