A visit Russian President Vladimir Putin has been planning to make to Turkey has been postponed several times due to Putin’s “extraordinary requests” to ensure his security, according to a report in the Middle East Eye (MEE).
The report, citing anonymous sources, said Putin is delaying a trip to Turkey due to concerns about his security, which have increased following his country’s launch of a war on Ukraine in February 2022 and the issuing of an arrest warrant for him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in March 2023, accusing him of war crimes in Ukraine.
Putin’s trip, which has been postponed several times since late last year, is expected to be his first visit to a NATO member country since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to the sources, Putin would like to fly to Turkey with Russian fighter jet escorts, possibly concerned by Ukraine’s ability to shoot down aircraft on the flight route. However, there is the possibility that if Putin flies to Turkey with Russian fighter jets that will possibly land in Turkish territory, NATO air defense systems in Turkey could perceive such aircraft as enemy targets.
One person familiar with the talks said Turkey isn’t likely to shut NATO systems down to accommodate the Russian request.
In the latest deliberations over a visit, Russian and Turkish officials have discussed Putin arriving in the first week of October.
Yet the specific fighter jet demand makes the scheduling and organization of the visit very unlikely, sources said.
Two former Turkish ambassadors who were previously closely involved in diplomatic protocol surrounding the visits of foreign heads of state told MEE that the Russian request was very unusual.
“The Turkish government may send fighter jets to escort foreign heads of state as a gesture,” said one of the former ambassadors.
“Nonetheless, I cannot recall any visit where the foreign head of state would like to bring along his or her country’s fighter jets.”
A third former Turkish ambassador said there was no specific protocol governing such a demand, leaving it up to debate.
Yet the Russian demands aren’t only limited to fighter jets, according to MEE.
Russian officials also complain that the three largest hotel venues in Ankara — the Hilton, Sheraton and JW Marriott — are US-owned businesses.
Moscow, according to people familiar with the issue, sees US hotel chains as unsafe for the Russian head of state.
This raises the possibility of whether Ankara could provide a government guest house to host Putin, a highly unusual protocol that has no recent precedent.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov once again said on Wednesday that Moscow hopes Putin can visit Turkey for talks with Erdoğan once preparations are completed.
Peskov also said Moscow hopes Putin and Erdoğan can hold talks on the sidelines of an upcoming BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan next month.
Erdoğan has managed to maintain trade and political relations with both Ukraine and Russia, allowing Russia to avoid Western sanctions while selling weapons to Ukraine.
The last meeting between Putin and Erdoğan was in July in the Kazakh capital of Astana on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, but they frequently speak by phone.