Turkey is on edge as developments in Ukraine continue to unfold and escalate dangerously in ways that point to a serious crisis between Russia and the West, one reminiscent of the Cold War. Ankara finds itself caught in a delicate situation between its commitments toward NATO allies and responsibilities in the Black Sea toward Russia as a result of the Montreux Convention, which regulates traffic in the Turkish straits.
While refusing to accept Russia’s fait accompli in Crimea, which is also home to a large community of Turkic Tatars traditionally wary of Russian intentions, Ankara has generally been mute in its criticism of Moscow in comparison with its NATO allies.