Türkiye’s policy on Russia-Ukraine war: Geopolitical legsplit in action

On 16 March 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey (or rather Türkiye) issued another press release on the anniversary of the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation [1] to decry the eight-year-old illegitimate referendum in Ukraine’s Autonomous Republic. Beyond doubt, official Ankara has been consistent in supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its strategic partner, including on the international political fora (its UN General Assembly voting patterns are another eloquent example of this). Yet, the stance of President Erdoğan’s administration on Russia’s “special military operation” (reads as war), which unfolded on Ukrainian territory on 24 February 2022, has been rather controversial. In its immediate formal response to this unjust and unlawful act of the Kremlin, the Turkish MFA labelled the attack launched by the Russian armed forces against Ukraine as unacceptable and the one posing a serious threat to the security of the region and the world, having condemned the very idea of “changing of borders by use of arms” [2]. Of particular importance have been Türkiye’s strong criticism of Russia’s days-before decision to recognize the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, key military capabilities including drones provided to Ukraine, blocked access to the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits for non-Turkish warships, and peace efforts of President Erdoğan to resuscitate top-level communication between Moscow and Kyiv. It is official Ankara, however, to refuse from joining other NATO allies and EU partners in their sanctions policy against President Putin’s regime, to keep Turkish air space open for Russian aircraft, and to denounce discriminatory attitude towards Russians and Russian culture in some Western countries. This article looks at whether the above refers to occasional double standards or is part of systemic trading-off policy of President Erdoğan’s Türkiye in-between Russia and the West.