Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government will not join the West in implementing punitive measures on Russia even after opposing Moscow’s decision to formally recognise two breakaway states in eastern Ukraine, said Aykan Erdemir, senior director at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) in Washington D.C.
Erdemir, who is head of the FDD’s Turkey programme, said NATO member Turkey’s reaction to Russia’s actions, which have also included ordering troops into the region, was rhetorical and there were no hints of political or economic repercussions.