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Over the weekend Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced that Ankara would implement the Montreux Convention, an agreement that allows Turkey to regulate the transit of warships through the Dardanelles and Bosporus straits during times of war. The decision comes after Turkey called Russia's invasion a "war", and means Turkey could block at least some Russian warships from accessing the Black Sea. Despite taking this decision, Turkey’s President Erdogan was clear that Turkey could not abandon its ties with Russia or Ukraine. Expert Aaron Stein joins our host Thanos Davelis to discuss this latest decision by Turkey, break down whether it will have a military impact, and look into how this decision helps Ankara address its diplomatic balancing act with Russia and the West. 

Aaron Stein is the Director of Research at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) and an expert on Turkey, arms control and nonproliferation. He is also the co-host of Arms Control Wonk, a podcast on nuclear weapons, arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation.

You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:

Turkey announced it would regulate warship access to the Black Sea. Does that change Russia’s strategy?

Turkey Warns Against Sending Warships to Black Sea

Could Turkey close the Bosporus to the Russian navy?

Greece backs sanctions against Russia, ready to take in Ukraine refugees

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy ups pressure on EU with plea for immediate membership

Why Ukraine’s road to European Union membership will likely be long and winding.