Erdogan and Putin meet as Russia looks to blunt sanctions' impact
Russian President Putin met with Turkish President Erdogan in Sochi on Friday, making this the leaders’ second meeting in just over two weeks. The meeting comes as Russia is turning to Turkey and other potential new trading partners as it tries to circumvent Western sanctions - reportedly setting off alarms that the Kremlin could strengthen economic ties with a NATO country that has not joined in on imposing sanctions on Moscow. Also, a top priority for Erdogan going into this meeting was also securing a green light from Moscow for a Turkish military incursion into northern Syria. Expert Alan Makovsky joins Thanos Davelis to discuss the main takeaways from this latest meeting between Erdogan and Putin, break down Western concerns over the deepening economic ties between the two countries, and look at the feeling in Washington as these developments unfold.
Alan Makovsky is a senior fellow for national security and international policy at the Center for American Progress, and has worked on Turkey and the region in several capacities, including as a senior staff member on the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the House of Representatives and at the State Department.
You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:
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