The West must maintain relations with Turkey despite its dislike of the country's ruler, President Erdogan.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government have been easing tensions with the United States and Europe in some areas for nearly two years, but they continue in others. Unconfirmed reports in Turkish media suggest that the country may seek to settle a dispute with the United States over the S-400 air defense systems it bought from Russia seven years ago. Turkey may mothball the systems and allow American inspectors to inspect them, according to Mark Champion, a Bloomberg Opinion columnist who covers Europe, Russia, and the Middle East.

Earlier this year, Turkish company Baykar Technologies began building a drone manufacturing plant in Ukraine. Turkey also supported Ukraine’s plan to end the war on favorable terms, setting itself apart from other regional states. Turkey’s foreign minister met with his European Union counterparts for the first time in five years.

“Putin is not happy about all this,” the author of the article notes. He postponed a visit to Turkey and warned that the Ukrainians used drones to attack the gas pipeline. The columnist points to the lack of an alternative to NATO to ensure Turkey's security and the change in relations between Turkey and the West due to Erdogan's policies.

The author believes that Europe should simplify conditions for businessmen visiting EU countries and encourage arms transfers to improve relations with Turkey. The US, in turn, can take steps to resolve the issue with the S-400 systems.

A report from Politico says that Turkey is balancing between supporting Russia and supplying weapons to Ukraine, but continues to buy Russian oil and gas.

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