Staff Reports
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan returned from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit and told reporters he wants Turkey to deepen ties with China and Russia — even pursue full SCO membership — while still “not turning our back on the West.” That claim deserves a hard look. Erdogan’s public flirtation with Moscow and Beijing, coupled with new talk of nuclear projects and a possible return to the F‑35 program, is not harmless multitasking. It’s a calculated move to squeeze leverage out of everyone and leave NATO partners with the bill for misplaced trust.
Erdogan’s 360‑degree pitch: hedging, not harmony
Calling it a “360‑degree vision,” President Erdogan says Turkey can court the SCO and stay close to NATO at the same time. That’s the official line: Turkey can deepen relations with Russia and China while still keeping ties to Europe and the United States. In practice this is hedging. Ankara wants the economic deals, the weapons, and the political cover that come from warmer ties with Moscow and Beijing, and then hopes Western partners will roll over to avoid a rupture. Spoiler: they should not.
Nuclear cooperation and the F‑35 tease
Rosatom, Akkuyu, and strategic entanglement
Erdogan announced Rosatom is near finishing the Akkuyu nuclear plant and said Turkey and Russia will “take steps together to open some new power plants.” That means deeper energy dependence and more Russian influence inside critical infrastructure. At the same time, Ankara says talks continue about rejoining the F‑35 program — the same program it lost after buying the Russian S‑400 air defenses. You can’t be dependent on Russian nuclear firms and expect Western military trust to stay intact. It’s like asking to be best friends with two opposing teams during a rivalry game and wondering why neither hands you the ball.
Why NATO and the West should be skeptical
Turkey is a NATO member with valuable geography and military capacity. But strategic ties are built on trust and interoperable systems, not on clever public relations lines. The S‑400 purchase already triggered U.S. sanctions and Turkey’s removal from the F‑35 program. Deepening nuclear ties with Rosatom raises new security questions. If Ankara moves toward full SCO membership, the practical effect could be closer alignment with a bloc that includes China, Russia, and Iran — hardly the safest outcome for NATO planners. Western capitals should respond with clear standards, not soothing platitudes.
The bottom line: don’t let hedging become the new normal
Erdogan is playing a familiar long game: use ties to Russia and China to extract economic and security gains from the West while avoiding a clean choice. Western leaders should call that out and set real conditions. If Turkey wants full access to Western defense technology and continued NATO cooperation, it must resolve the hard questions — including S‑400s, nuclear contracts, and transparent procurement. Flirting with two rival camps might look clever in Ankara, but it risks leaving Turkey isolated and NATO weakened. The West should not applaud the balancing act; it should insist on clarity and consequences.
