Jonathan Spicer
@jonathanspicer.bsky.social
Journalist and Reuters bureau chief in Turkey. Native of Canada. Views my own
Turkey emerges as key player in Gaza ceasefire deal, both in negotiations and its planned execution, after having remained mostly on the sidelines for two years www.reuters.com/world/middle...
www.reuters.com
October 9, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Turkey emerges as key player in Gaza ceasefire deal, both in negotiations and its planned execution, after having remained mostly on the sidelines for two years www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Turkey's gas shift threatens Russia and Iran's last big European market www.reuters.com/business/ene...
www.reuters.com
October 8, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Turkey's gas shift threatens Russia and Iran's last big European market www.reuters.com/business/ene...
Turkey floated $100 million Halkbank settlement idea at White House last month, sources say - www.reuters.com/world/turkey...
www.reuters.com
October 7, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Turkey floated $100 million Halkbank settlement idea at White House last month, sources say - www.reuters.com/world/turkey...
Moscow's NATO flyovers recall Turkey's deadly but risky decision 10 years ago, when it sent a flaming Russian jet careening into a wooded ridge near its border www.reuters.com/business/aer... w/ @tuvangumrukcu.bsky.social
Russia's NATO flyovers recall Turkey's deadly but risky decision 10 years ago
A rash of Russian violations of NATO airspace last month has prompted some allies to recall Turkey's swift and deadly response a decade ago, when it shot down a Russian fighter jet that had crossed over its southern border.
www.reuters.com
October 1, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Moscow's NATO flyovers recall Turkey's deadly but risky decision 10 years ago, when it sent a flaming Russian jet careening into a wooded ridge near its border www.reuters.com/business/aer... w/ @tuvangumrukcu.bsky.social
At White House, Erdogan hopes to leverage warmest U.S.-Turkish ties in years to convince Trump to drop sanctions and allow F-35 sales www.reuters.com/business/aer...
At White House, Erdogan to seek deal with Trump on F-35s
U.S. President Donald Trump will host President Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on Thursday, where the Turkish leader hopes to leverage the countries' warmest bilateral ties in years to convince Washington to drop U.S. sanctions and allow it to purchase F-35 fighter jets.
www.reuters.com
September 25, 2025 at 10:23 AM
At White House, Erdogan hopes to leverage warmest U.S.-Turkish ties in years to convince Trump to drop sanctions and allow F-35 sales www.reuters.com/business/aer...
How Israel’s West Bank strategy aims to bury Palestinian statehood - www.reuters.com/world/middle...
How Israel’s West Bank strategy aims to bury Palestinian statehood
As several of Israel's Western allies recognise a Palestinian state, Israel has accelerated plans for settlements that it hopes will make the two-state solution impossible.
www.reuters.com
September 22, 2025 at 7:18 PM
How Israel’s West Bank strategy aims to bury Palestinian statehood - www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Setting the table for Trump and Erdogan's White House meeting this Thursday: Turkey says it is ending tariffs on some U.S. imports www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Turkey says it is ending additional tariffs on some US imports
Turkey has terminated additional tariffs imposed in 2018 on U.S. imports ranging from passenger cars to fruits, the country's Official Gazette said on Monday, as President Tayyip Erdogan visited the United States.
www.reuters.com
September 22, 2025 at 6:40 AM
Setting the table for Trump and Erdogan's White House meeting this Thursday: Turkey says it is ending tariffs on some U.S. imports www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Scoop: U.S. diplomats on Syria abruptly let go amid pro-Damascus policy push, sources say www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...
www.reuters.com
September 18, 2025 at 6:02 AM
Scoop: U.S. diplomats on Syria abruptly let go amid pro-Damascus policy push, sources say www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...
Turkish court could oust #CHP opposition leader Özgur Özel, in what some see as a test of country's shaky balance between democracy and autocracy www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Turkish court could oust opposition leader in deepening political crisis
A Turkish court will decide on Monday whether to oust the head of the main opposition, in what some see as a test of the country's shaky balance between democracy and autocracy after a nearly year-long legal crackdown on the party.
www.reuters.com
September 12, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Turkish court could oust #CHP opposition leader Özgur Özel, in what some see as a test of country's shaky balance between democracy and autocracy www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Turkey's opposition MPs pile tables and chairs to block police besieging its headquarters in Istanbul www.reuters.com/world/middle...
September 8, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Turkey's opposition MPs pile tables and chairs to block police besieging its headquarters in Istanbul www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Syria is secretly reshaping its economy. The president’s brother is in charge. - www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Syria is secretly reshaping its economy. The president’s brother is in charge.
A shadow committee is remaking Syria's economy with secret takeovers of Assad-era companies. A Reuters investigation has found the new president's brother, Hazem al-Sharaa, along with a sanctioned Australian are in charge of untangling corruption. But to do so, they're making deals with businessmen many Syrians associate with years of ill-gotten gains.
www.reuters.com
July 24, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Syria is secretly reshaping its economy. The president’s brother is in charge. - www.reuters.com/investigatio...
The Al-Shaer family went to bed hungry at their home in Gaza City. An Israeli airstrike killed them in their sleep www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Israeli strike kills hungry Gaza family in their sleep
The Al-Shaer family went to bed hungry at their home in Gaza City. An Israeli airstrike killed them in their sleep.
www.reuters.com
July 23, 2025 at 9:38 PM
The Al-Shaer family went to bed hungry at their home in Gaza City. An Israeli airstrike killed them in their sleep www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Scoop: Syria believed it had green light from US, Israel to deploy troops to Sweida - www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Exclusive: Syria believed it had green light from US, Israel to deploy troops to Sweida
Syria's government misread how Israel would respond to its troops deploying to the country's south this week, encouraged by U.S. messaging that Syria should be governed as a centralized state, eight sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
www.reuters.com
July 19, 2025 at 5:09 AM
Scoop: Syria believed it had green light from US, Israel to deploy troops to Sweida - www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Turkey has detained 500 of Erdogan's opponents - jailing more than 200 of them, including 14 mayors - in unprecedented pursuit of "octopus" of corruption www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Turkey detains hundreds of Erdogan opponents in pursuit of 'octopus' of corruption
Tayyip Erdogan's main political opponents have faced an unprecedented crackdown that has seen more than 500 detained in just nine months, according to a Reuters review of a sprawling investigation that has accelerated dramatically in recent days.
www.reuters.com
July 10, 2025 at 6:59 AM
Turkey has detained 500 of Erdogan's opponents - jailing more than 200 of them, including 14 mayors - in unprecedented pursuit of "octopus" of corruption www.reuters.com/world/middle...
PKK disarmament could come soon, with small group of fighters symbolically handing over weapons in Sulaimaniya in "coming days" www.reuters.com/business/med...
Turkey says PKK disarmament could start within days, says AK Party spokesman
The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) could start handing over its weapons within days, a spokesman for Turkey's ruling AK Party said on Tuesday, the clearest sign yet that efforts to secure the outlawed group's disarmament may be nearing a breakthrough.
www.reuters.com
July 2, 2025 at 9:12 AM
PKK disarmament could come soon, with small group of fighters symbolically handing over weapons in Sulaimaniya in "coming days" www.reuters.com/business/med...
Scoop: Turkey to press for access to EU defence funds: @NATO allies "need to spend not only more, but also smarter – and there is a need for more cooperation than ever before," defence minister tells @tuvangumrukcu.bsky.social www.reuters.com/business/aer...
Turkey to press allies for access to EU defence funds
Turkey will press European allies which plan to sharply ramp up their defence spending to ease restrictions that now require most of that money to be spent in the EU, Defence Minister Yasar Guler told Reuters on Wednesday ahead of a NATO meeting.
www.reuters.com
June 4, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Scoop: Turkey to press for access to EU defence funds: @NATO allies "need to spend not only more, but also smarter – and there is a need for more cooperation than ever before," defence minister tells @tuvangumrukcu.bsky.social www.reuters.com/business/aer...
Scoop: Turkey training and advising Syria's military, has no immediate withdrawal plans, and continues de-confliction talks with Israel, defence minister Güler tells
@tuvangumrukcu.bsky.social www.reuters.com/world/middle...
@tuvangumrukcu.bsky.social www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Exclusive: Turkey backing Syria's military and has no immediate withdrawal plans, defence minister says
Turkey is training and advising Syria's armed forces and helping improve its defences, Defence Minister Yasar Guler told Reuters.
www.reuters.com
June 4, 2025 at 11:19 AM
Scoop: Turkey training and advising Syria's military, has no immediate withdrawal plans, and continues de-confliction talks with Israel, defence minister Güler tells
@tuvangumrukcu.bsky.social www.reuters.com/world/middle...
@tuvangumrukcu.bsky.social www.reuters.com/world/middle...
U.S. to appoint Thomas Barrack, the new ambassador to Turkey, as special envoy for Syria, sources say www.reuters.com/world/middle...
US to appoint Thomas Barrack as special envoy for Syria, sources say
The United States will appoint President Donald Trump's longtime friend and current U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Thomas Barrack, as a special envoy for Syria, a person with direct knowledge of the matter and a diplomat in Turkey said.
www.reuters.com
May 21, 2025 at 11:02 AM
U.S. to appoint Thomas Barrack, the new ambassador to Turkey, as special envoy for Syria, sources say www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Trump's Gulf tour marks emergence of a new Sunni-led Middle East order - one that eclipses Iran's shattered 'axis of resistance', and leaves Israel sidelined www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Trump's Gulf tour reshapes Middle East diplomatic map
Donald Trump's Middle East tour had a clear message for Benjamin Netanyahu: In Trump's vision of Middle East diplomacy, the Israeli prime minister could no longer count on unconditional US support for his right-wing agenda.
www.reuters.com
May 18, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Trump's Gulf tour marks emergence of a new Sunni-led Middle East order - one that eclipses Iran's shattered 'axis of resistance', and leaves Israel sidelined www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Erdogan, preparing to host Russia-Ukraine talks, has probably never held more diplomatic sway. But his global peacemaker spotlight hides tumult within Turkey www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Erdogan's global peacemaker spotlight hides tumult within Turkey
Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan has probably never held more global sway: he will host the first direct Russia-Ukraine peace talks in three years on Thursday, days after his country's militant nemesis, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), dissolved.
www.reuters.com
May 14, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Erdogan, preparing to host Russia-Ukraine talks, has probably never held more diplomatic sway. But his global peacemaker spotlight hides tumult within Turkey www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Scoop: Foreign minister Fidan says Turkey wants no confrontation with Israel in Syria.
@reuters.com exclusive here: reuters.com/world/middle... Full interview here: reuters.com/world/middle...
@reuters.com exclusive here: reuters.com/world/middle... Full interview here: reuters.com/world/middle...
Exclusive: Turkey wants no confrontation with Israel in Syria, foreign minister says
Turkey wants no confrontation with Israel in Syria after repeated Israeli attacks on military sites there undermined the new government's ability to deter threats, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Reuters on Friday.
reuters.com
April 4, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Scoop: Foreign minister Fidan says Turkey wants no confrontation with Israel in Syria.
@reuters.com exclusive here: reuters.com/world/middle... Full interview here: reuters.com/world/middle...
@reuters.com exclusive here: reuters.com/world/middle... Full interview here: reuters.com/world/middle...
Turks protesting under a towering Roman aqueduct in Istanbul brace for a long-term standoff over mayor's jailing - even as Erdogan says their 'show' will end www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Turks vow to protest on even as Erdogan says 'show' will end
Many Turkish anti-government protesters said they were bracing for a long-term standoff after six nights of action and scattered clashes with police over the jailing of Istanbul's mayor, rejecting President Tayyip Erdogan's claim their "show" will fizzle out.
www.reuters.com
March 25, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Turks protesting under a towering Roman aqueduct in Istanbul brace for a long-term standoff over mayor's jailing - even as Erdogan says their 'show' will end www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Six year legal fight: how Istanbul's mayor became Erdogan's prime target reuters.com/world/middle...
March 24, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Six year legal fight: how Istanbul's mayor became Erdogan's prime target reuters.com/world/middle...
Turkey jails Istanbul mayor before his trial, inflaming country's biggest protests in more than a decade reuters.com/world/middle...
March 23, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Turkey jails Istanbul mayor before his trial, inflaming country's biggest protests in more than a decade reuters.com/world/middle...
Turkey warns against "illegal" calls to protest the detention of Istanbul mayor, after some of the biggest shows of civil disobedience in more than a decade - and before a high-stakes court decision this weekend www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Turkey warns against growing street protests over detained mayor
Turkey's government warned on Friday against "illegal" calls from the main opposition for street protests over the detention of Istanbul's mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, after thousands demonstrated across the country in the last two days.
www.reuters.com
March 21, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Turkey warns against "illegal" calls to protest the detention of Istanbul mayor, after some of the biggest shows of civil disobedience in more than a decade - and before a high-stakes court decision this weekend www.reuters.com/world/middle...