Russia-NATO crisis puts Turkey’s balancing act between Moscow and the West to the test
The Russia-NATO crisis over Ukraine is putting Turkey’s balancing act between Moscow and the West into renewed focus. Because it is a NATO country, and because Russia has been building a strategic relationship with Ankara since 2016 to counter NATO on missile defense, Turkey’s decisions are going to be watched carefully in Moscow, Washington, and Brussels should the Ukraine-Russia crisis escalate.
Ambassador Marc Pierini joins The Greek Current to explain why a military escalation in and around Ukraine would endanger Turkey’s relationship with Russia, impair its participation in NATO operations, or possibly both.
Marc Pierini is a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe, where his research focuses on developments in the Middle East and Turkey from a European perspective. Prior to this, Pierini was a career EU diplomat, and served as EU ambassador to Turkey (2006–2011).
