At a press conference together with his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Erdogan said: “I can clearly say that I do not find the attitude of the West. [toward Russia] right,” adding that there was a “challenge-based policy.” Erdogan also said he did not believe the war in Ukraine would end “soon” and urged countries not to “underestimate Russia”. His comments came during a visit to Serbia as part of a three-nation Balkan tour this week. To date, Ankara has tried to present itself as a neutral party in the Russia-Ukraine war. He hosted talks with officials from Moscow and Kyiv at the highest level and brokered a grain deal with the UN to ensure safe food exports from blockaded ports from Ukraine. However, Turkey has maintained strong ties with Russia since the invasion. Ankara has increased its trade with Russia, Turkish banks have adopted a Russian payment system and Turkey has reportedly doubled its imports of Russian oil this year.
