Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is preparing for the first runoff in his political life, said in an interview with CNN that he is not yet ready to support Sweden’s entry into NATO, instead boasting that he has a special relationship with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin .

Erdogan said he could not look favorably on the Scandinavian country’s bid for membership “as long as Sweden continues to allow offshoots of terrorist groups in Turkey to walk freely on the streets of Stockholm,” he said in the context of what he has long accused Sweden of harboring Kurdistan Workers’ Party militants (PKK), which is considered a terrorist group and banned in Turkey, News.ro notes.

Erdogan says he would like to see these people extradited, but Swedish justice refuses. The stalemate has blocked Sweden’s entry into NATO, although Finland, another Scandinavian country that began the process of joining NATO at the same time as Sweden, has since become a full member.

Some Western officials and Middle East observers believe that the conditions put forward by Erdogan effectively give him an excuse not to get too involved in NATO efforts and anger Russian leader Vladimir Putin at a politically inopportune moment.

“Russia and Turkey need each other in all possible areas”

Russia offered a lifeline to Turkey’s economy after other countries imposed sanctions on Ankara, and Putin remains an attractive partner in the country’s post-earthquake recovery efforts as well as a major energy supplier.

Turkey has a “special” and growing relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite mounting pressure on Ankara to help tighten Western sanctions against Moscow, Erdogan confirmed in an interview with CNN ahead of the May 28 presidential runoff.

“We are not at the stage where we are introducing sanctions against Russia, as Western countries have done. We are not bound by Western sanctions,” Erdogan said. “We are a strong country and we have positive relations with Russia,” he said. “Russia and Turkey need each other in all possible areas,” Erdogan added.

Erdogan is clearly the favorite in the presidential race in Turkey. He and his rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu differ on a number of foreign policy issues, including relations with the West and Russia.

Kylichdaroglu promised to mend years of strained diplomacy with the West. He also said he would not try to emulate Erdogan’s personal relationship with Putin, but would instead change Ankara’s relationship with Moscow to a “state” one. A few days before the first round of presidential elections on May 14, Kilicdaroglu increased his tone towards Moscow, accusing it of meddling in Turkey’s elections and threatening to sever relations between the two countries. “Dear Russian friends, you are behind the editing, conspiracy, deepfake content and recordings that were exposed yesterday in this country,” he wrote on Twitter. “If you want to continue our friendship after May 15, keep your hands off the Turkish state,” Kilicdaroglu said.

Instead, Erdogan has strengthened his relationship with Putin and believes the West should follow suit. “The West doesn’t have a very balanced approach,” he told CNN. “You need a balanced approach to a country like Russia, which would be a much more inspired approach,” the Turkish leader said, accusing his rival of trying to “separate” Turkey from Russia.

Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, strongman Ankara has been trying to maintain a balance between the two sides, diplomatically known as “pro-Ukrainian neutrality.” He helped conclude a key agreement on the transportation of Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea. “This became possible thanks to our special relationship with President Putin,” he said in an interview with CNN.

“Would a dictator ever enter a second round?”

Erdogan also criticized US President Joe Biden for calling him an “autocrat” during his 2020 campaign for the White House. “Will a dictator ever make it to the second round?” Erdogan asked, as this is the first time in Turkey’s history, the second round of a presidential election, a sign of an unprecedented race.

Erdogan told CNN that he expects his party’s strong showing in parliamentary races to boost its chances in the presidential runoff, arguing that voters may be scared off by the prospect of voting for parliament without a majority. “Stability and trust are very important, and people who want stability will do what is necessary in the elections,” he said.

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