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In a Turbulent Time, Türkiye Lays Claim to a Role of Stability for Europe, Syria and Global Trade

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. Photo: Turkish Presidency/dpa
Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. Photo: Turkish Presidency/dpa
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In a Turbulent Time, Türkiye Lays Claim to a Role of Stability for Europe, Syria and Global Trade

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. Photo: Turkish Presidency/dpa
Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. Photo: Turkish Presidency/dpa

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday sought to position his country as a point of stability in an increasingly tumultuous world, saying Türkiye was essential for European security and able to span geopolitical divisions over Ukraine, Syria and US tariffs that have sparked a global trade war.
Erdogan, who is facing disruption at home from protests against the imprisonment of his main political rival, was speaking at a diplomacy forum in the Mediterranean city of Antalya.
“It has become clear once again that European security is unthinkable without Türkiye. Türkiye is ready to take responsibility for European security in the future as well,” he said in an opening speech at the three-day gathering.
As trans-Atlantic relations cool under the US presidency of Donald Trump, NATO member Türkiye, which has the alliance’s second-largest military and a well-developed defense industry, is seeking a wider role.
The Trump administration has warned that the continent must look after its own security, including Ukraine, in future and has so far shown no willingness to back a largely European force in Ukraine in the face of Russian hostility.
Türkiye has emerged as a key broker in the Black Sea region, preserving relations with both Ukraine and Russia. Erdogan and Trump have both spoken of their close personal relationship.
“I believe that our relations with the United States will flourish in every field during President Trump’s second term, also with the contribution of our close friendship with him,” the Turkish president told an audience of world leaders and diplomats.
Turning to Trump’s tariffs, Erdogan held out the chance of a positive outcome for Türkiye, which has been placed within the baseline 10% tariff.
“We are doing our best to prevent the heated commercial competition over customs tariffs from becoming destructive,” Erdogan said. “Türkiye will be one of the winners of this process.”
Türkiye is also an influential actor in neighboring Syria as opposition groups it supported during the civil war took power last December. However, the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad aggravated already tense relations between Türkiye and Israel, with their conflicting interests pushing the relationship toward a possible collision course.
When Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House last month, he advised him to be “reasonable” in his dealings with Ankara.
Erdogan told the forum in Antalya: “We are in a state of understanding and close dialogue with influential actors in the region, especially Trump and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, in preserving the territorial integrity of Syria."
The president, a vocal critic of Israel’s operations in Gaza, also focused on the killing of civilians in the enclave.
“Even if it is at war, does a legitimate state act like this? Isn’t this called state terrorism? That’s why Israel is a terrorist state,” he said.

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World

Russia Says Worker at Captured Nuclear Plant Killed in Ukrainian Strike

A view shows Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from the bank of Kakhovka Reservoir near the town of Nikopol after the Nova Kakhovka dam breached, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine June 16, 2023. (Reuters)
A view shows Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from the bank of Kakhovka Reservoir near the town of Nikopol after the Nova Kakhovka dam breached, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine June 16, 2023. (Reuters)
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Russia Says Worker at Captured Nuclear Plant Killed in Ukrainian Strike

A view shows Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from the bank of Kakhovka Reservoir near the town of Nikopol after the Nova Kakhovka dam breached, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine June 16, 2023. (Reuters)
A view shows Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from the bank of Kakhovka Reservoir near the town of Nikopol after the Nova Kakhovka dam breached, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine June 16, 2023. (Reuters)

A Ukrainian drone strike Monday on the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant complex killed a transport worker, the site's Moscow-installed authorities said.

Zaporizhzhia is the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe. Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused the other of risking a nuclear catastrophe with attacks since it was captured by Russia's forces in 2022.

"Today, a driver was killed in a strike by a Ukrainian armed forces drone on the transport shop floor of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant," the plant's press service said on Telegram.

The plant -- which is in cold shutdown -- is close to the front line in southern Ukraine. Its fate is a major sticking point in stalled talks on ending the war.

Ukrainian state nuclear company Energoatom said Sunday that the plant's "power transmission line was disconnected, causing the plant to switch to blackout mode" for an hour and a half.

"This is already the 15th blackout at the Zaporizhzhia NPP since its occupation. Each such incident significantly increases nuclear and radiation safety risks not only for Ukraine, but for Europe in general."

Ukraine on Sunday marked the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, with President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Russia of sending drones at the site that he said amounted to "nuclear terrorism".

World

Iran Offers to End Chokehold on Strait of Hormuz and Asks US to End Blockade, Officials Say

Ships and boats in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, April 24, 2026. (Reuters)
Ships and boats in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, April 24, 2026. (Reuters)
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Iran Offers to End Chokehold on Strait of Hormuz and Asks US to End Blockade, Officials Say

Ships and boats in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, April 24, 2026. (Reuters)
Ships and boats in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, April 24, 2026. (Reuters)

Iran is offering to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz without addressing its nuclear program, two regional officials with knowledge of the proposal said Monday, as the country's foreign minister made a visit to Russia he said was an opportunity to consult with Moscow regarding the war against Israel and the United States.

Iran also wants the US to end its blockade of the country as part of its proposal, said the two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations.

The new proposal, passed to the United States by Pakistan, likely won't be supported by US President Donald Trump, who wants to end Iran’s atomic program as part of an overall deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and make the ceasefire permanent.

“We have all the cards. If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us,” Trump said Sunday to Fox News Channel.

The Axios news outlet first reported Iran’s proposal.

Iran's foreign minister visits Russia

Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi landed in St. Petersburg on Monday morning ahead of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. His trip over the weekend has included two stops in Pakistan and a visit to Oman, which shares the strait with Iran.

Araghchi’s visit comes as a standoff between Iran and the US in the crucial Strait of Hormuz persists despite a ceasefire, keeping oil prices high.

“It is a good opportunity for us to consult with our Russian friends about the developments that have occurred in relation to the war during this period and what is happening now,” Araghchi said in a video interview posted by IRNA.

Talks had been expected in Islamabad Pakistan has been seeking to revive stalled talks between Iran and the US, and negotiations had been expected in Islamabad over the weekend. But US President Donald Trump has suggested the talks could take place by phone instead.

Araghchi said it was America’s approach that “caused the negotiations to be delayed.”

“The previous one, despite the progress that had been made, could not achieve its goals,” he said, blaming what he called Washington’s “excessive demands.”

Trump has questioned who is in charge in Iran at the moment and said confusion within its theocracy made it difficult to reach a deal.

The White House last week said it would dispatch envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad to follow up on historic face-to-face talks earlier this month. But Araghchi left the Pakistani capital Saturday, and shortly afterward Trump said he had called off the mission because of a lack of progress with Iran.

“If they want, we can talk but we’re not sending people,” Trump told Fox News on Sunday. He said earlier on social media: “All they have to do is call!!!”

Araghchi later returned to Islamabad, and also visited Oman's capital of Muscat before heading to Russia. He also spoke by phone with counterparts in Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Sunday.

Strait of Hormuz standoff

A standoff remains on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Gulf through which a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas normally passes, as Iran has restricted movement through it and the US enforces a blockade of Iranian ports.

The June contract for Brent crude, the international standard, was trading at around $107 per barrel Monday, compared with $72 a barrel before the war began.

Oil prices have risen steadily since the war began and tankers full of crude became stranded in the Gulf, unable to safely transit through the strait and reach global distribution points.

The economic fallout is growing two months into the war as global shipments of not only oil, but also liquefied natural gas, fertilizer and other supplies are disrupted by the near-closure of the strategic strait.

An official, who is involved in mediation efforts, said Iran insisted on ending the US blockade before new talks and that Pakistan-led mediators are trying to bridge significant gaps between the countries.

Trump last week indefinitely extended the ceasefire the US and Iran agreed to on April 7 that has largely halted fighting that began with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. But a permanent settlement remains elusive in the war that has killed thousands of people and shaken the global economy.

Even before Saturday’s developments, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said any talks would be indirect and Pakistani officials would act as go-betweens, reflecting Tehran’s wariness after rounds of indirect talks last year and earlier this year ended with Iran being attacked by the US and Israel.

Trump says Iran has offered a ‘much better’ proposal

Both sides have continued to make military threats. Iran’s joint military command Saturday warned that “if the US continues its aggressive military actions, including naval blockades, banditry, and piracy” it will face a “strong response.”

Trump last week ordered the military to “shoot and kill” small boats that could be placing mines in the waterway.

Trump told journalists Saturday that within 10 minutes of him canceling Witkoff and Kushner’s trip to Islamabad, Iran sent a “much better” proposal.

He did not elaborate but stressed that one of his conditions is that Iran “will not have a nuclear weapon.” The status of Iran’s enriched uranium has long been at the center of tensions. Tehran has 440 kilograms (970 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels, according to the UN nuclear watchdog agency.

Since the war began, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran and at least 2,509 people in Lebanon, where the Israel-Hezbollah fighting resumed two days after the Iran war started. Another 23 people have been killed in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, 13 US service members in the region and six UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have been killed.

Another ceasefire — between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah group — has been extended by three weeks. Hezbollah has not participated in the Washington-brokered diplomacy.

World

Taiwan Says China Sanctions on European Arms Makers Will Not Hit Weapons Sourcing

A Taiwan flags flutters on the roof of the headquarters of Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) in Taichung on April 21, 2026. (AFP)
A Taiwan flags flutters on the roof of the headquarters of Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) in Taichung on April 21, 2026. (AFP)
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Taiwan Says China Sanctions on European Arms Makers Will Not Hit Weapons Sourcing

A Taiwan flags flutters on the roof of the headquarters of Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) in Taichung on April 21, 2026. (AFP)
A Taiwan flags flutters on the roof of the headquarters of Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) in Taichung on April 21, 2026. (AFP)

Taiwan's defense minister downplayed on Monday the impact of Chinese sanctions on seven European companies over arms sales to the island, saying it was not the first time China had taken such action and it would not affect Taipei's ability to source weapons.

China's Commerce Ministry banned exports on Friday of dual-use items to the seven companies over arms sales to Taiwan, placing them on its export control list, in a ‌rare case of Europe-targeted, ‌Taiwan-related sanctions.

Taiwan, which China views as its own ‌territory, ⁠gets most of its ⁠weapons from the United States. Europe has not sold any big-ticket items like fighter jets to Taipei for around three decades, fearful of raising the ire of Beijing.

Taking lawmaker questions in parliament, Taiwan Defense Minister Wellington Koo said it was not the first time China had implemented such measures.

"However, I think such an action, as I understand it, does not affect ⁠our ability to continue sourcing goods through relevant diversified ‌channels," he added, without elaborating.

While many ‌countries, especially in Europe, are nervous about any defense cooperation with Taiwan due to ‌fears of Chinese retaliation, Taipei has found an increasingly sympathetic ear in ‌parts of Central and Eastern Europe, especially since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Four of the seven companies on the new Chinese list are Czech.

China has repeatedly sanctioned major US arms makers over sales to Taiwan, most recently in December following ‌the US announcement of an $11 billion weapons sale package to the island.

JAPAN SCRAPS ARMS EXPORTS CONTROLS

Asked whether Taiwan ⁠could start buying ⁠weapons from Japan, after Tokyo last week scrapped restrictions on overseas arms sales, Koo said the recipients of weapons exports must be countries that have signed a defense equipment and technology transfer agreement with Japan, which Taiwan has not done.

When asked whether that could happen one day, Koo responded: "In the future, no possibility can be ruled out. I think I can only say that at present, no transfer agreement exists."

While countries such as the Philippines welcomed the change, China expressed deep concern.

Relations between Japan and China have been at a low ebb since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in November that a Chinese attack on Taiwan threatening Japan's survival could trigger a military response.