The Impact of the Ukraine Crisis on Relations Between Russia and Turkey

The article considers the problem of conflict resolution in Ukraine the importance of which cannot be overestimated at the present stage. The entry of Crimea into Russia, the imposition of economic sanctions by EU member states and the launch of a special military operation have caused a discussion in the international community. Turkey does not stand aside and pursues its own foreign policy course. Despite its desire to play a peacekeeping role in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict ensuring the territorial integrity of Ukraine comes to the fore. The complex and ambiguous interaction between Moscow and Ankara in the post-Soviet space does not allow achieving results. On the one hand the Turkish leadership stands for resolving the crisis in Ukraine and on the other hand recognizes the annexation of Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions to Russia as illegal. Overcoming differences between Moscow and Ankara is a priority but in order to reach a compromise it is necessary to reconsider the foreign policy course. The special military operation on the 24-th of February of 2022 was the beginning of a new stage in the development of bilateral relations and made it possible to define views on the problem of conflict resolution in Ukraine. R.T. Erdogan's interest in maintaining friendly contacts with V.A. Zelensky is of concern to Moscow. The purpose of the article is to determine the impact of the Ukrainian crisis on relations between Russia and Turkey.