From the Middle East to Ukraine, Türkiye is deploying all-out diplomatic efforts. From securing a deal between warring Russia and Ukraine to easing post-Assad Syria's relations with the West and facilitating Iran's nuclear talks, Türkiye's diplomatic standing is burnished by U.S. President Donald Trump's approval.
Russian President Vladimir Putin himself floated Istanbul as a venue for talks Thursday with Ukraine, the city where Türkiye hosted one round of talks between Moscow and Kyiv at the start of the war, with another round in Antalya. In the coastal city of Antalya, NATO foreign ministers began gathering Wednesday evening on the eve of a meeting at which they will discuss ramping up defense spending. And a new round of talks between Iran and the so-called E3 powers, Britain, France and Germany, will also likely be held in Istanbul later this week, probably on Friday.
On Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan took part remotely in a landmark Riyadh meeting between Trump and Syria's interim leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, praising the U.S. leader's decision to lift sanctions on Damascus.
"Today, Türkiye has become one of the centers of peace diplomacy," Erdoğan boasted in a speech to lawmakers from his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). "One of the countries whose support, assistance and mediation is sought for resolving regional and global crises is, without a doubt, Türkiye."
Analysts say Washington has gravitated toward Türkiye thanks to the personal connection between Trump and Erdoğan.
"Trump seems to love Erdoğan, he seems to have truly warm personal feelings about him," Max Abrahms, an international security professor, told Agence France-Presse ( AFP).
"Türkiye is a very important country in the world, and there are thus many reasons why strong relations with Türkiye help the U.S. geopolitically," he said. But the personal connection between them was "unmistakable, and frequently acknowledged by Trump," he said. During their telephone conversation last week, Trump said he wanted to work with Erdoğan to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "I look forward to working with President Erdoğan on getting the ridiculous, but deadly, war between Russia and Ukraine ended – NOW!" Trump posted on his Truth Social network.
Erdoğan stepped up diplomatic contacts over the weekend. He spoke by phone with Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited Kyiv with the leaders of Germany, Britain and Poland Saturday in a show of solidarity with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Together, they urged Moscow to accept a 30-day unconditional cease-fire, starting with Zelenskyy saying he expected Putin to show up for Thursday's Istanbul talks.
Aaron Stein, head of the U.S.-based Foreign Policy Research Institute, agreed that Ankara was now "the beneficiary of Donald Trump."
"He is the one who has forced discussions about a cease-fire that align with Ankara, therefore creating a need for a Turkish or Saudi venue for Ukraine talks," he told AFP. On Iran, it's more or less the same vibe, he said. Trump, he said, was "trying to undo his own policy error" of walking away from a landmark 2015 agreement between major powers and Iran that gave it sanctions relief in return for U.N.-monitored restrictions on its nuclear activities. "Trump is very clear: he likes Erdoğan."
A Turkish official, who requested anonymity, confirmed warm ties between the two leaders. But he added, "It's Trump who sets the degree of this warmth.
"The latest statements made by Trump carried the relationship to a more sincere level," the official told AFP. "Both leaders are looking at matters from a win-win perspective."
For Nigar Goksel of the International Crisis Group, Türkiye's geography and its positioning itself over years of careful balancing gave it an upper hand. "Ankara's advancing defense sector also increased its maneuver space," she said.
NATO member Türkiye has maintained good relations with both Ukraine and Russia. It has supplied Kyiv with drones while shying away from Western-led sanctions on Moscow. "Success in these roles also reinforces Türkiye's international stature and is popular domestically, serving the political interests of the government," Goksel told AFP.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, who met his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, in Antalya, praised Türkiye's role. "The epicenter of world diplomacy is now in Türkiye, which is playing an active mediation role. We appreciate it," he said.
