They met in the Olympic city of Sochi, and they both came there with certain matters of the heart that are important to the two presidents. Russia is subject to extensive sanctions from the West due to the war in Ukraine, and needs both good manners and a strong currency. Vladimir Putin has previously been preoccupied with Europe having to pay in rubles if they want to buy Russian gas. Today he has reached an agreement with Turkey where Turkey will pay in rubles for parts of the gas they buy from Russia. Turkey’s Erdogan, for his part, managed to get Russia to say that the two countries should cooperate in “countering terrorist groups in Syria”. That means Kurdish groups, such as the YPG and the PKK. These are groups that have been important in the fight against IS, and that have cooperated with the USA. They met in Sochi, and agreed on several things. Both parties have said that they hope for good cooperation in the future. Photo: Vyacheslav Prokofyev / AP Turkey wants to carry out attacks inside Syria For Turkey, it does not help that these Kurdish groups have been involved in the fight against IS, because the government in Turkey sees the YPG and PKK as terrorist groups that they are forced to stop. Therefore, Turkey has had a desire to enter militarily in northern Syria to defeat the YPG and PKK that are based there. This is something the US has warned against, and both Turkey and the US are members of the same defense alliance: NATO. Turkey’s clear attitude towards the YPG and PKK was also what they used as their main argument when they sat on the back foot and were skeptical that Sweden and Finland would join NATO. But Russia has also been skeptical of Turkish warfare in northern Syria. Russia has recently had an ever-increasing military effort in the area. Therefore, Turkey has been dependent on Russia not taking a negative view of such a Turkish offensive. Tonight, Russia says that they are participating in a collaboration to crack down on terrorist groups in Syria. It is not known what this means in practice, and how binding such cooperation is. The PKK and YPG are not explicitly mentioned either. Razoni became the first boat to transport grain out of Ukraine after a new agreement came into place. That agreement also depended on Turkey’s participation, because the ship has to pass through the Bosphorus. Photo: YASIN AKGUL / AFP Also talk about grain The two countries also agree on cooperation on another level. Infrastructure, agriculture, tourism and energy were other topics the two leaders visited. And grain was a topic, as it has been in recent days. Both parties emphasized that the agreement, which contributed to Ukrainian grain being transported across the Black Sea and through the Bosphorus Strait outside Istanbul, is an important agreement. The war in Ukraine is not mentioned in the public document sent out after the four-hour meeting. “Despite ongoing regional and global challenges, the leaders have committed themselves to further developing the relationship between Russia and Turkey.” The Russian government is quoted on this in the official document sent out after the meeting.
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Putin and Erdogan with political impact when they met – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
