The sensational statement of the Turkish leader was made on the eve of the meeting with the Russian leader.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has expressed his desire to establish in the Russian Federation the production of Bayraktar combat drones, which have become one of the symbols of Ukrainian resistance to Russian military aggression. Such an unexpected statement by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was circulated by Turkish media against the backdrop of reports of an upcoming meeting in Sochi. Correspondent.net telling what might be behind him.
“Putin told me he wanted to work with Baykar”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the leader of the aggressor country, Vladimir Putin, at a recent meeting in Tehran, expressed a desire to establish cooperation with the Turkish manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles Bayraktar TB2. It was reported by the Turkish media, in particular, CNN Turk and Haber 7.
“Putin told me that he wants to work with Baykar,” Erdogan said at a meeting of the Central Executive Committee of the ruling Justice and Development Party, according to the media, noting that the UAE also announced its desire to build a factory for the production of Turkish drones on its territory.
At the same time, the Russian propaganda media presented this news in such a way that Erdogan himself was practically begging Putin to develop drones together. So, for example, Life.ru wrote that Bayraktar failed in Russia’s war against Ukraine and “without further cooperation with Russia, the production of current-generation drones and the development of promising ones are almost impossible.”
Bayraktar TB2 has been in service in Turkey since 2014. UAVs can be used day and night, they are equipped with laser guidance systems. The combat load of a device consists of four missiles with a range of up to eight kilometers, and for some modifications – up to 16.
Turkish combat drones proved themselves in the Karabakh war in 2020. Military experts say that the presence of Turkish Bayraktar on the side of Azerbaijan became one of the main reasons for the quick defeat of Armenia, which was helped by Russia.
The main buyer of drones is Ukraine – purchases of Turkish drones began in 2019. In early February, Ukraine signed an agreement with Turkey expanding the production of drones on Ukrainian territory. At the end of last year, Bloomberg wrote that the Kremlin was “furious” about the agreement between Kyiv and Ankara.
In 2022, Bayraktar became one of the main symbols of Ukrainian resistance to Russian aggression and remains an inspiration for folk art thanks to the successful destruction of Russian military equipment and personnel from the first days of a massive invasion .
The Ukrainian Armed Forces use the Bayraktar TB2 in both strike and reconnaissance operations. So, among other things, he helps correct the fire from other Ukrainian weapons, as happened on Serpent Island or on the Moscow ship.
One of the evidences of the successful use of the Bayraktar Armed Forces can be considered the regular reports of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on their “destruction” – in the reports of the invaders, they were “killed” by not decrease by half. as many Turkish drones as Ukraine has.
What is behind Erdogan’s words
Haluk Bayraktar, chief executive of Turkey’s Baykar Makina, said he would never allow the sale of his drones to the Russian Federation. He added that he fully supports Ukraine in its struggle for sovereignty and independence, and for Baykar – “great pride to be a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.”
“There are strategic relations between Turkey and Ukraine, especially in the field of aviation and space. Turkey supports Ukraine with armed drone technology. We have not transferred or supplied anything to the Russian Federation. We will not do it,” he said on July 19 in an interview with CNN.
It is noteworthy that Baykar did not accept the six million dollars collected at the end of May by the Lithuanian television channel Laisves TV for the drone for the Armed Forces of Ukraine – the drone was transferred to Ukraine free of charge, and the money sent to humanitarian aid. Turkey has already provided three Bayraktars to Ukraine before.
So, why did Erdogan make such a statement today?
On the eve it became known that the Turkish leader will make a one-day visit to Sochi on August 5 to meet with Putin, whom, by the way, he publicly humiliated in Tehran, forcing him to wait a minute in front of the journalist It is also worth noting that these shots were distributed by the administration of the President of Turkey.
The parties will discuss, as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on July 27, military-technical cooperation. Peskov did not give a specific answer to the question of whether cooperation in the production of Bayraktar TB2 attack drones will be discussed, but noted that this issue has already been discussed.
They will also discuss a deal to export Ukrainian grain, the first phase of which failed due to a Russian missile attack on the grain-laden port of Odessa, casting doubt on Erdogan’s authority.
Turkey pledged to guarantee the security of Ukrainian grain, and Russia’s violation of the accord on the first day of the agreement’s signing overshadowed Erdogan’s diplomatic achievements and drew sharp criticism of Ankara for its lack of condemnation of the crimes. of Russia.
Yevgenia Gaber, senior analyst at the Center for Modern Turkey Studies, believes that the transfer of military technologies to Russia looks very impossible and too dangerous for Ankara, because Russia’s military support will violate all red lines of NATO and Turkey may once again be left without a chance to acquire an F-16 fighter. In addition, Ankara did not share Bayraktar’s production technologies even with its allies.
It is difficult to imagine how Turkey presented the supply of attack drones to a country where it is on both sides of the barricades in a number of regional conflicts – Syria, Libya and the Caucasus.
The expert believes that Erdogan is using a well-known diplomatic trick – the principle of escalation for de-escalation, because agreements in the military-technical sphere are usually like silence.
“It can be assumed that the following statements – about the refusal to provide Russian UAVs or their joint production – should cause a new wave of gratitude to Turkey for its commitment to strategic partnership with Ukraine and cooperation in the West,” the analyst said.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.