The Erdogan-Putin duet: Who has the upper hand?
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine Turkey has been sitting on the fence, pursuing a “balanced approach” to Moscow, Ukraine, and the West. In fact, Turkish President Erdogan has spared no effort in trying to play a go-between when it comes to Russia and Ukraine. What has become increasingly clear is that both Moscow and Ankara are benefiting from Turkey’s mediating role. Ambassador Marc Pierini, the author of the recent piece “Understanding the Erdogan-Putin Duet”, joins Thanos Davelis to break down how Erdogan’s balancing act is benefitting both Turkey and Russia, but why Putin ultimately has the upper hand.
Marc Pierini is a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe where his research focuses on developments in the Middle East and Turkey from a European perspective. He previously served as EU ambassador and head of delegation to Turkey.
Read Marc Pierini’s latest for Carnegie Europe here: Understanding the Erdoğan-Putin Duet
You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:
Erdogan accuses Greece of 'occupying' demilitarised islands
Turkish leader Erdogan ups rhetoric on Greece amid tensions
Turkish, Greek tension places pressure on NATO alliance
Russia blames ‘absolute turmoil’ of sanctions for gas ‘problems’
Russia blames sanctions for gas pipeline shutdown
Greece to tap tourism revenues to keep subsidising power bills