“This relationship is causing great irritation among Erdogan’s NATO allies, as he creates a significant gap in the sanctions dam that the West is trying with all its might to build,” the text says.
Erlanger added that Ankara has not joined the sanctions against Moscow, is looking for opportunities to work with banks from Russia, and also accepts payments by Russian credit cards.
Earlier, former US envoy to NATO Ivo Daalder said that among the countries participating in the North Atlantic Alliance, Putin has friendly relations with Erdogan, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and also with former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.