Erdogan: I have a special relationship with Putin

Turkey will defy pressure from the West and continue to strengthen political and economic ties with Moscow despite its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the country’s president has insisted a week before he faces voters in a tense runoff election.

“Russia and Turkey need each other in every field possible,” Erdogan told CNN in an interview aired Friday, emphasizing his own “special relationship” with Russian President Putin is deepening.