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.