Von der Leyen equates Turkey with Russia and China in geopolitical remarks
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe must be completed to avoid falling under Russian, Turkish or Chinese influence, placing Turkey in the same category as Moscow and Beijing. The remark, made at a Die Zeit anniversary event in Hamburg, comes as Turkey remains an official EU candidate and a key NATO member. Analysts view the framing as a sign of Europe's shifting strategic psychology amid internal fragility and growing Turkish assertiveness.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe must be completed to avoid falling under Russian, Turkish or Chinese influence, placing Turkey in the same category as Moscow and Beijing in remarks that analysts view as a sign of Europe's shifting strategic psychology.
Speaking at a Die Zeit anniversary event in Hamburg on May 4, 2026, von der Leyen stated: "We must complete the European continent so that it does not fall under Russian, Turkish or Chinese influence. We need to think bigger and more geopolitically."
The remark comes as Turkey remains an official candidate for European Union membership and serves as the cornerstone of NATO's southeastern flank. Turkey is also expected to host a Multinational Corps Headquarters.
In an analysis published by Turkuvaz Haberleşme ve Yayıncılık, journalist and columnist Hilal Kaplan wrote that the framing reveals Europe's evolving strategic psychology. Kaplan noted that Europe's trust in the United States has eroded, relations with Russia are nearing a breaking point, and competition with China is intensifying. In this landscape, any capable actor in Europe's periphery is increasingly seen as a potential vector of influence rather than a partner by default, with Turkey viewed through this lens.
Kaplan also argued that the meaning of EU enlargement has fundamentally shifted from a normative, values-driven project to a tool for geopolitical consolidation. "The rhetoric of 'completing Europe' is, in essence, about securing and expanding spheres of influence," she wrote. "Turkey, however, is the largest actor that does not neatly fit into this design, nor does it fully subscribe to it."
Over the past 20 years, Turkey has moved beyond being a peripheral extension of the West, becoming a state that defines its own agenda and delivers outcomes on the ground, Kaplan wrote. This shift, she said, generates caution in Europe rather than admiration.
"Ultimately, the issue is not what Turkey is doing but how Europe is redefining itself," Kaplan wrote. "And within that redefinition, Turkey is no longer merely a candidate country. It has become a strategic equation that Europe has yet to solve."