Publication

This paper examines why Turkey has actively avoided cooperating with Western sanctions against Russia following Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea as well as what this means for Ankara's position in NATO. In general, the author contends that Ankara's distance from NATO has been brought about by a mixture of political and economic reasons, including the country’s high dependency on Russian gas and concerns about domestic pro-democracy protests. She then provides recommendations on what the EU can do to prevent Turkey moving further away from the West, including the suggestion that the Union should work to improve Turkish-Ukrainian relations.