The conflict zone between the West and Russia: “Ukraine”

Eastern European expert and journalist Deniz Berktay, who assessed how the Russian-Ukrainian war will develop further, said: “Ukraine is already a region of constant tension between the West and Russia. “There will be no lasting peace in the short term, but there may be a ceasefire,” he said.

Berktay also said the US and UK want Afghanistan to end current Russian rule, just as Afghanistan did to the Soviet Union.

Altynbash University Head of International Relations Department prof. Dr. The interview, moderated by Serhat Erkmen, discussed the Ukrainian crisis. Deniz Berktay, who has been living in Kyiv for 15 years, said in her speech that Ukraine is a country unknown to Turkey. Stating that this is a region of constant tension between the West and Russia, and that if tensions in the Black Sea rise, both the US and Russia increase their pressure on Turkey regarding the straits, Berktay said the region should be closely monitored by Turkey. Berktay said the US and Britain especially wanted the war to drag on and that they wanted Ukraine to end current Russian rule, just as Afghanistan had ended the Soviet Union.

“The war has entered an indefinite period”

Berktay recalled that the parties met for peace talks with Turkish intervention in March, but the talks ended in April under pressure from then-England Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Noting that from today the war has entered an indefinite period, Deniz Berktay said that in this process, Russia held a referendum in 4 provinces and annexed these regions to its territory, making the situation irreversible.

“Who wins the war is the concern of the whole world”

Pointing out that winning the war would affect the course of the entire world, Deniz Berktay opined that Putin’s withdrawal from the lands he had annexed would put an end to his own power. Claiming that the Russian administration, with its uncompromising attitude towards Zelensky, pushed Zelensky to the side of the United States, Berktay stated that this mistake of the Putin administration was reflected in Stalin’s request for a base in the Turkish Straits after World War II, and led Turkey to be under the influence of the United States. He said, that it looked like a push.

“Kyiv as Russian Ergenekon”

Noting that in order to assess today, it is necessary to have a good understanding of the historical ties between Russia and Ukraine, Deniz Berktay spoke about little-known things about Ukraine. “Russians say that their first capital in history is Kyiv, and they think that this is the region where they entered the historical stage. Therefore, speaking in our language, Kyiv is the Ergenekon of Russian nationalists,” he said.

Berktay stated that Russian is the dominant language in the cities of Ukraine, while Ukrainian is used in the countryside, and that even Zelensky learned Ukrainian 3 years ago when he went to the polls.

“Ukraine, the third largest country in Europe”

Claiming that Ukraine is the third largest country within Europe, Berktay noted that although it has a population of 40 million, an independent state culture has only recently emerged. Berktay, who said he has given a large number of immigrants to date, pointed out that Ukraine lost 14,000 people in what could be defined as an indirect war between 2014-2022. He said that during this strange period, when trade relations between the two countries continue, railway works and diplomatic missions are open, Ukraine has been developing its army. Mentioning that Russia was facing a different Ukraine than in 2014, with its completely new and national ideology-based approach to education and a growing military, Berktay assessed Russia’s failure to recognize this as an intelligence weakness.

Deniz Berktay, who also published a new book titled “The Feneri Greek Patriarchate in the Conflict between Russia and the West”, also drew attention to the religious aspect of the problem. Stating that religion and politics are intertwined in Ukraine, Berktay said that most of the country’s population belongs to Orthodoxy, but members of this sect are also divided into several congregations. Stating that the Orthodox community is divided into those affiliated with the Fenersky Patriarchate and those affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate, Berktay noted that this issue is political, not religious, since the Fenersky Patriarchate is supported by the United States and the Moscow Patriarchate. supported by Russia.

Thus, Berktay stated that the US and Russia used religion in the struggle for power in Eastern Europe, and that the US insistence on Turkey regarding the Feneric Patriarchate stems from this, but that these US demands are contrary to Turkey’s interests.