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Politics58 outlets ran this3 min read

Erdogan signals more nuclear plants with Russia

Turkish president met Putin on sidelines of SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose for a photo during their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

What this story says

  • Turkey plans to construct more nuclear power plants in cooperation with Russia, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced.
  • The Akkuyu nuclear power plant, built by Russia's Rosatom, is in its final stages of completion.
  • Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan.
  • Turkey relies heavily on energy imports, with approximately 70% of its needs met by foreign sources.

Who covered it

Left 35%(7)Centre 25%(5)Right 40%(8)

Percentages are shares of the 20 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 38 of the 58 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

42/100

Craft

57/100

Hype

41/100

58 sources · methodology

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has indicated plans to build additional nuclear power plants with Russia, following the completion of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant. The Akkuyu facility, located on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, is being constructed by Russia's state corporation Rosatom and is in its final stages.

Erdogan made these remarks during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan. He stated that Turkey and Russia would "take steps together to open some new power plants, along with the opening of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant." Putin referred to Turkey as "one of our privileged partners."

Turkey is significantly dependent on energy imports, with around 70% of its energy needs sourced from foreign countries. Last year, Turkey's imports from Russia were valued at $42.37 billion, with energy accounting for $29.8 billion of that total, according to United Nations international trade figures.

Coverage comparison

Reports from Associated Press News and Sözcü, both rated left, led on Erdogan's signal for further nuclear projects with Russia. Associated Press News also noted that this deepening of ties with Russia could raise concerns among Western allies due to Turkey's closeness to Moscow amid the war in Ukraine. Sözcü highlighted that the meeting between Erdogan and Putin was their first in eight months.

The single centre-rated report from Yle also covered Erdogan's desire for more power projects with Russia. Yle noted that Turkey has maintained close relations with Russia, has not joined Western sanctions against Moscow, but has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and supported Ukraine's territorial integrity.

Four right-rated reports from vz.ru, Protothema, Interfax.ru, and sabah.com.tr focused on the Akkuyu nuclear power plant's progress and the meeting between the leaders. vz.ru reported Putin's confidence in the timely launch of the first Akkuyu unit in 2026. Protothema quoted Erdogan stating that Turkish-Russian relations are at a more advanced level than in any previous period. Interfax.ru reported Putin noting the implementation of major joint projects, including Akkuyu. Sabah.com.tr quoted Erdogan saying the Akkuyu plant is of great importance in Russia-Turkey relations and is entering its final stages.

What the coverage left out

None of the left-rated digests mention the specific figure of 10% of Turkey's electricity expected to be generated by Akkuyu once online, a detail reported by Associated Press News.

Tags:#NuclearEnergy#TurkeyRussiaRelations#EnergyImports#SCOsummit#RecepTayyipErdogan#VladimirPutin

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 2 times, most recently on 1 Sept 2026, 17:00, and will add the sides that appear.

How other outlets pictured it

Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.

Ilmakuva Akkuyun rakenteilla olevasta ydinvoimalasta Mersinissä Turkissa 24. toukokuuta. Kuva: AOP
yleCentre

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

7 rated outlets

  • The Associated Press reported that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey plans to build more power plants with Russia. This follows the Akkuyu nuclear station, which is nearing completion. Erdogan met Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan.
  • Erdogan stated that Turkey and Russia will take steps together to open new power plants. The Associated Press noted that this deepening of ties with Russia could concern Western allies, given the ongoing war in Ukraine.
  • The Associated Press report mentioned that the Akkuyu plant's four reactors are expected to supply about 10% of Turkey's electricity. It also noted Turkey's reliance on energy imports, which met around 70% of its needs last year.

Centre

5 rated outlets

We have not written our reading of the centre coverage of this story. The centre-rated outlets that ran it are listed below.

Right

8 rated outlets

We have not written our reading of the right coverage of this story. The right-rated outlets that ran it are listed below.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Erdogan signals more nuclear plants with Russia?
Of the 20 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 35% are rated left, 25% are rated centre, 40% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 58. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Erdogan signals more nuclear plants with Russia left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 20 rated outlets on this story, 35% are rated left, 25% are rated centre, 40% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Erdogan signals more nuclear plants with Russia biased?
Erdogan signals more nuclear plants with Russia is one event reported by 58 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which outlets covered Erdogan signals more nuclear plants with Russia?
58 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What did Turkish President Erdogan announce regarding nuclear power?
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated plans to build more nuclear power plants in cooperation with Russia. This announcement was made following discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan.
What is the status of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant?
The Akkuyu nuclear power plant, being built by Russia's Rosatom, is in its final stages of completion. It is expected to contribute approximately 10% of Turkey's electricity once operational.
Why is energy important for Turkey?
Turkey is heavily reliant on energy imports, with around 70% of its energy needs met by foreign sources. This dependence underscores the significance of energy cooperation and domestic power generation projects.

Read it at the source

58 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

7

Centre

5

Right

8

Not rated

38
Show 30 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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