Pro-gov’t columnist says Russian invasion of Ukraine meant to limit Turkey’s power

Duvar English

Pro-government columnist for Yeni Şafak newspaper Yusuf Kaplan has said in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine that the war could be intended to limit the power of Turkey.

“Perhaps the real nightmare of the Western alliance is the rise of Turkey to the position of the most influential, permanent and deeply penetrating dominant power in the region, both in foreign policy, strategically and theo-politically,” he wrote in his column on Feb. 25.

Kaplan suggested that Turkey’s “rising power” could be seen as a threat by Russia, and thus the invasion could have been aimed at quashing the country’s rise. This comes as the heightening conflict has wracked Turkey’s economy, driving the lira above 14.0 to the dollar for the first time since the currency crisis in December.

He further argued that both sides of the conflict - NATO and Western powers against Russia and China - are interested in ensuring Turkey’s downfall.

"In the medium and long term, the Russians, the Western alliance, and China all aim to prevent Turkey from becoming a regional power and then a global power. Let's know this well,” he said.

It is worth noting that nowhere has Turkey been mentioned in Russia’s justification for the invasion of Ukraine, nor in Western powers’ responses to developments on the ground.

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