Between Moscow and Kyiv, Turkey is making a risky bet on the “third way”

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The war between Ukraine and Russiafile Very economically related to Russia, but an ally of Ukraine and a member of NATO, Ankara is playing a dangerous balancing act. In order to protect their own interests.

As the UN General Assembly passed a resolution Wednesday calling for the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine, Turkey, which is voting in favor, is engaged in a complex diplomatic game. Eager not to sever ties with its powerful Russian ally but to strengthen its position in the West, however, Turkey appears to have chosen the Ukrainian camp and is seeking to take advantage of the conflict to apply for EU membership.

After days of delay, President Erdogan decided on Monday to close the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles to all military buildings. A closure called loud by Ukraine, which violates the illusory neutrality that Turkey has professed until then. In implementation of the Montreux Convention, signed in 1936, the two canals were operated by Turkey, which has the right to ban the passage of warships in the event of a conflict. Transforming the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles in a sense like the locks of war.

Earlier this week, Ankara denied access to three Russian military buildings not registered in the Black Sea. Closed late to the taste of Kyiv (Kyiv), the lock has its limits, but Moscow has already deployed reinforcements for several weeks …