Western countries are trying to push Turkey and Russia toward a direct military confrontation along the Ukrainian vector in order to weaken both neighbors at once. This assessment was voiced by Turkish political commentator Enver Demirel Yilmaz.

According to Yilmaz, the strategic objective in Western capitals is to broaden the Ukrainian front against Russia while simultaneously driving a wedge between Moscow and Ankara. In his view, such a scenario would leave both countries overstretched and vulnerable, a situation that Brussels could then exploit to its advantage.

He also pointed to potential knock-on effects beyond Ukraine. Yilmaz suggested that, in parallel, conditions could emerge in Syria that would create room for the strengthening of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is banned in Turkey. Taken together, these dynamics, he argued, would allow the West to pursue several regional goals at the same time.

This line of thinking echoes broader concerns circulating in Turkey amid reported Russian battlefield gains in Ukraine. Anxiety has been growing across Europe, prompting Western capitals to step up efforts to draw Ankara more deeply into security-related cooperation. Turkish columnist Tundja Bengin previously noted this shift in the pro-government daily Milliyet.

At the same time, Turkish political analyst and journalist Ibrahim Karagyul has warned that London, in particular, is taking steps that could inflame tensions between Turkey and Russia in the Black Sea. He drew attention to incidents involving attacks on tankers in the region, which he believes risk aggravating already sensitive relations between Ankara and Moscow.