Turkey has a “special” relationship with the Russian president Vladimir Putin the president said Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an interview with CNN ahead of the second round of next week’s presidential election.

“We are not at the stage where we will impose sanctions against Russia, as the West did. We are not bound by Western sanctions,” Erdogan said. “We are a strong state and we have good relations with Russia. We need a balanced approach to a country like Russia,” he added.

Recall that in the days preceding the first round of the presidential race on May 14, the opponent of Kemal Kılıçdaroglu his tone towards the Kremlin, accusing him of meddling in his election.

Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Turkish leader has been trying to mediate between the two sides. He contributed to the Black Sea Grain Agreement, which freed millions of tons of wheat stuck in Ukraine, averting a global hunger crisis. The deal was extended for another two months on Wednesday, the day before it expired.

The Turkish President noted that he still has a problem with Sweden’s accession to NATO, as it continues to provide safe haven for terrorists. “As long as Sweden continues to allow offshoots of Turkish terrorist groups to roam the streets of Stockholm freely, we cannot look favorably on its NATO membership,” Erdogan said.

Sweden has rejected Turkey’s repeated requests to extradite people Ankara calls terrorists, arguing that the matter can only be decided by Swedish courts.

“I’m not a dictator. A dictator won’t go to a second round of elections,” he argues, indirectly responding to Joe Biden, who called him an authoritarian leader. “No doubt, I will work with Mr. Biden. And if Biden leaves, I will also work with that who will replace him,” he added.

According to CNN