Ukraine conflict: Turkey's delicate balancing act

Vor ihren direkten Gesprächen in Istanbul wendet sich der türkische Präsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan im März 2022 an die russischen und ukrainischen Unterhändler (photo: Murat Cetinmuhurda/Reuters)

In the search for an end to the war in Ukraine, Turkey is playing an important role as host to the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. The country has close economic ties to both countries.

Even before Russia and Ukraine agreed on Istanbul as the venue for peace talks, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated Turkey's ambivalent position: ‘neither nation should be given up.’

The Foreign Ministry called the Russian invasion on 24 February a ‘violation of international law,’ only to recognise the conflict as a war a few days later and close the Bosphorus and Dardanelles to warships. However, Turkey rejects Western sanctions against Russia. Russian oligarchs are welcome in Turkey, as Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu emphasised.

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