As Turkey continues to face internal repression under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, many European nations appear reluctant to challenge his actions, largely due to Turkey’s critical role in European security. With NATO’s second-largest army and a well-established defense industry, Turkey has become indispensable to European defense, particularly as the United States under President Trump sought closer ties with Russia and distanced itself from its European allies.
In the midst of this geopolitical shift, Turkey has moved to imprison opposition figures, further tightening its grip on power. Despite these human rights concerns, Europe’s strategic dependence on Turkey for stability and defense has led to a muted response to Erdogan’s growing authoritarianism.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a powerful plea for European unity during his visit to Bucha, a town ravaged by Russian forces. At a memorial service honoring the victims of Russia’s occupation, Zelensky warned that the atrocities in Bucha could happen in any European country if the continent does not unite in holding Russia accountable for its actions.
In a ceremony attended by European parliamentary leaders, including the speaker of the UK House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, Zelensky and his wife Olena placed candles at memorials to honor those lost to the Russian invasion. Zelensky emphasized that without strong unity, the horrors seen in Bucha could spread across Europe.
Ukrainian authorities have opened over 180,000 investigations into alleged war crimes, underscoring the scale of the atrocities committed during Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian territory.
