A Russian invasion of Ukraine would pose significant risks to Turkey. Moscow’s potential exertion of economic, military, and political pressure on Ankara may also weaken a NATO response to the crisis, especially from the Black Sea.
Relations between Turkey and the West have been eroded by years of crises, and Turkish President Erdogan’s recent attempts at rapprochement have their limits. Still, while Turkey may be drifting further away from the US, European-Turkish relations have remained remarkably resilient.
Despite his announcements to the contrary, Erdogan knows perfectly well that US-Turkey relations cannot be started anew during his tenure. Therefore, the Turkish president’s goal for this meeting will be to push the breaks on the US’s torment of Ankara.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems set on his highly controversial ambitions to break ground on the Kanal Istanbul project, which would see the development of an artificial waterway running parallel to the strategically located Bosphorus Strait. But what does international maritime law say on the topic?
Even though Turkey eyes greater influence over its Turkic kin in Moldova, the Gagauz favor Russia and Turkey’s current foreign policy trajectory leaves it little room to gain leverage.
Given the different and often conflicting agendas, a future Russia-China-Turkey bloc is unlikely but three countries continue to use each other as leverage in their economic and foreign affairs
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