Zelenskyy visits Turkey: Torrey Taussig (Atlantic Council) told DW that "President Erdogan has actually done a fine job of balancing and walking this tightrope between NATO and Moscow throughout this conflict."

Istanbul

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for Ukraine and Russia to return to the negotiating table, with Turkey positioning itself as a key mediator in the ongoing conflict. According to Tori Taussig of the Atlantic Council, Turkey has played a significant role in brokering deals such as the grain agreement and maintaining Black Sea security, while carefully balancing its NATO obligations and ties with Moscow.

Taussig noted that while Erdogan's mediator status gives Turkey some diplomatic leverage, its influence within NATO remains that of one among 32 allies. She added that Turkey's ability to shape alliance decisions is rooted in NATO's consensus-based structure, and that Erdogan's role as a mediator may be more impactful in bilateral relations, particularly with the United States, than within the alliance itself.

Erdogan urges Ukraine, Russia to return to negotiating table

And for more now on Turkey's role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, I'm joined by Tori Taussig. She's a director and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. Tori, it's good to have you with us this evening. Turkey, we have to say, is a member of NATO, and that means that Erdogan, he's walking a very delicate balancing act here. He wants to remain a friend to Moscow, and he wants to remain a good ally within NATO. Is this almost schizophrenic position for Erdogan? Is it affecting the unity within NATO? First and foremost, Turkey is a NATO ally. President Erdogan has been mentioned, has established good ties with President Trump. The U.S.-Turkish relationship is on good footing. And this administration looks at Turkey as a good mediator for advancing what have been stalled negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow. And so I think Turkey is playing it well at this moment. They have brokered recent deals between Kyiv and Moscow, particularly on the grain deal. They've played an important role in ensuring Black Sea security throughout the crisis. And so I think President Erdogan has actually done a fine job of balancing and walking this tightrope between NATO and Moscow throughout this conflict. Would you say that Erdogan's role as a mediator, has it given Turkey more bargaining power within NATO? You know, Erdogan certainly gets some diplomatic cachet for his role within the negotiations. Turkey within NATO is one of 32 allies, and we did see throughout the accession process for Finland and Sweden in recent years, that Turkey did establish a fair amount of leverage in holding up the accession process, in particular for Sweden. I wouldn't say that that was attached to leverage that President Erdogan had developed throughout his mediator role between Moscow and Kyiv. But Turkey, again, as one ally of 32, for an alliance that does operate on consensus, has leverage in its own right for ensuring that the alliance moves out in a direction that Turkey is comfortable with. I mean, I wanna be clear on this. Do you see the role of Turkey being a mediator, especially Erdogan in this role, do you see it as a role that is going to strengthen his hand when he is looking to gain concessions within NATO or within the European Union for that matter? Yes, I mean, he can absolutely use it as an additional bargaining chip when trying to gain certain concessions in its own membership, economic arrangement, discussions with the EU. I do still think, again, as I mentioned, within the NATO alliance, that Turkey is one of 32. The leverage that Turkey maintains within the alliance is at that level as a freestanding NATO ally, just like the other 31. Its mediator role and Erdogan's mediator role is appreciated, but NATO is not a member to this conflict. NATO is not directly engaged. And so I would say that Turkey is actually able to use more leverage in its bilateral relationship with the United States that does have a very strict and a very clear focus on ending this conflict than Turkey does within the NATO alliance. Tori Telsing from the Atlantic Council. Tori, we appreciate your time and your valuable insights tonight. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

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Washington

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Kyiv

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Cambridge

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Beirut

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Breakdown