Publication

This brief discusses the implications of Turkey’s cautious reaction to Russia's aggression in Ukraine, as a country that both shares strategic interests with the West and maintains key economic ties with Russia. The author illustrates how the Ukrainian crisis has, on the one hand, increased the strategic importance of Turkey for both Russia and the EU, and on the other deepened the contradiction between Turkey’s interests in Russia and the EU. Although Turkey seems to act more in favor of its interests with Moscow, the author argues that the country will have to abandon its quasi-neutral position and firmly align itself with one side.