Turks make fun of Europe’s sudden switch seeing Türkiye as partner on X posts
The European and Ukrainian flags are displayed in front of the Altiero-Spinelli building, the European Parliament in Brussels, to mark the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the European Quarter of Brussels on February 24, 2025. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP)
On Feb. 28, Ukrainian President Volodomir Zelenskyy paid a visit to U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. The meeting ultimately indicated a pullback from Washington regarding the war in Ukraine and indicated America’s ongoing diplomatic rapprochement with Russia.
Two-days after the meeting, European leaders, including Türkiye’s Foreign Minister gathered in London to pledge their support to Zelenskyy.
In a quick shift Turkish X users have noticed that European accounts and commentators have begun writing “Türkiye” instead of “Turkey” as well as depicting images with the Turkish flag alongside European flags or having Türkiye as part of maps depicting Europe.
In one these cases, Professor Alberto Alemanno of E.U. law at HEC Paris Business Schools shared an image titled “Europe” with the Turkish flag included. The academic had previously called for suspending Türkiye’s Custom Union agreement with the E.U. in March 2020. Alemanno’s post became viral with numerous Turkish accounts expressing their opinions on the matter.
Turkish users have been quick to make jokes and raise their concerns over the matter, noticing the overnight shift of positive rhetoric from Europe. Most users highlighted Europe’s decades old support for the terrorist organization PKK, the arduous visa-screening process that Turkish citizens have to face, and the long held embargoes placed on Türkiye by NATO partners. Many also commented that Türkiye would not fight for Europe after the second-class treatment.
Several users also commented that they had no issues with Italy or Spain, as defense ties with those nations rapidly accelerates.
Turkish hsitory professor Emrah Safa Gurkan commented, “Nope. Not all colours. You would ask for 300 pages of personal, deeds, bank acounts, etc. (for a visa) to allow us to mast anyways.”
Speaking out on the visa issues, another comment went viral stating, “Of course, of course, we’re all on the same boat. Guess I’ll go join the visa appointment queue just to get onboard.”
Another X account commented, “Wait in line for a visa, Turk. Keep the refugees in your country, Turk. You’re not European, Turk. The Greeks are better than you, Turk. They’re not terrorists, they’re guerrillas, Turk. When the egg enters the butt, save us Turk.”
An independent member of Turkish Parliament representing Bursa, Burak Dalgin, also commented on the post, stating, “All of a sudden, ‘we’re on the same boat!’ Show your sincerity by updating the Customs Union, fixing the visa mess, paving the way for the single digital market and public procurement, let’s see.”
While Türkiye has long supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity and provided military aid, it fell short on sanctioning Russia and kept all diplomatic channels open with Moscow.
The recent change in tone has received lukewarm response regarding Europe’s positive rhethoric to Türkiye.
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