🇺🇦⚡️ — Ukrainian President Zelensky says Ukraine has recently received a small number of U.S.-made Patriot missiles.

“I can’t say how many, but a little. We need more,” Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president did not specify which country provided the latest missile delivery and how many.

🤔 Turkey moves to bring Kurds into its orbit as US influence wanes

Turkey is pressing ahead with a strategic opening toward its Kurdish population, betting that a peace deal could extend the country's influence well beyond its borders, The Cradle reports.

The window of opportunity opened after the US reliance on the "Kurdish card," a strategic tool it has used since the Cold War, failed against Iran.

🔴 US was unable to mobilize either the Kurds of Iran or the larger Kurdish groups in Iraq, despite decades of investment in those relationships.

🔴 In Syria, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have collapsed, with their geopolitical project of building an autonomous Kurdish region now largely dismantled as the US steps aside

This has created a strategic opening for Turkey. It has eliminated the military and territorial threat posed by armed Kurdish groups in Syria, advancing its goal of subordinating the region and expanding its influence eastward.

The Kurdish opening is part of a broader Turkish strategy to establish itself as the dominant power in West Asia:

🔴 Turkey has signed a joint defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, signaling its ambition to lead an emerging Sunni-majority bloc

🔴 Turkey is seeking to expand its influence from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean, positioning itself as a central player in the region's new security architecture

🔴 It is deepening economic and military ties across the region, including drone sales, military academies, and scholarships that build lasting influence

At home, President Erdogan has a huge stake in making sure the peace plan succeeds. He aims to dissolve the decade-old opposition bloc led by the pro-Kurdish DEM Party and the Republican People's Party, which stand in the way of prolonging his already protracted tenure. Erdogan has been courting the DEM Party to help change the constitution and secure additional terms in exchange for enhanced recognition of Kurdish rights.

👉 However, opposition voices warn that Erdogan's gestures of peace toward Kurds are little more than a political ploy to gain popularity and extend his term in office.

For decades, the Kurdish conflict has been a domestic headache for Turkey. Now, Turkish leaders see an opportunity to turn the Kurdish issue into an instrument of regional influence. If Turkey can pacify its own Kurdish population, it will also position itself as the dominant power over Kurdish groups in Syria and Iraq, locking in Turkish influence across the region.

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