Its no secret that relations between Washington and Ankara had been strained under the Biden administration. While there were also periods of very public disagreements during his predecessors term, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Donald Trump often found common ground on key issues. Now, with Trump back in office, all eyes are on how he'll address a long-standing source of tension in US-Turkiye relations: How the US will handle FETO, the group behind the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016. Last year, FETO suffered a significant blow with the death of its leader, Fetullah Gulen, who had been living in the US for over two decades. Many prominent FETO members had openly criticised Trump and questioned his fitness for office. But with Trump’s return to the White House, the group appears to be shifting its tone. Notably, former NBA player and prominent FETO member Enes Kanter attended Trump’s election victory party at Mar-a-Lago. Kanter also has ties to several of Trumps cabinet picks, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The question now is whether this could be an opportunity for the US government to finally address this persistent irritant in US-Türkiye relations. Guests: Mehmet Celik Daily Sabah Editorial Coordinator Valeria Giannotta CeSPi Observatory on Türkiye Scientific Director Ahmet Keser Hasan Kalyoncu University Professor

In this special edition of Strait Talk, we turn our focus to Kazan, Russia, where the latest BRICS summit is taking place. We had the opportunity to sit down with Dmitry Peskov, the Press Secretary for the President of Russia, to discuss BRICS’ expanding influence and the potential membership of Türkiye. Guest: Dmitry Peskov Press Secretary for the President of Russia