Turkey’s relationship with Russia seems to keep both sides on edge. Today, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is praising Russia as Turkey’s partner in a new Syrian operation. He is proclaiming that Ankara will proceed with its purchase of the S-400 weapons system from Moscow — something he said was in doubt earlier in the week.
Last week, as Erdogan was visiting Ukraine, he directed a pair of irksome announcements toward Russia, one regarding the Crimean Peninsula and one about new import restrictions on Russian agricultural goods.