Erdogan has signaled strong support for Kyiv

Erdogan traveled to Ukraine himself in early February to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky and deepen Turkey’s trade and defense ties with the country. He has offered to act as a peace broker between Moscow and Kyiv. By all appearances, the Turkish president has signaled solidarity with Kyiv in case of a conflict, even selling drones to Ukrainian government forces fighting Russia-backed separatists in the Donbass region.

Turkey’s support for Ukraine reflects an unease with what seems to be Russian expansion in the Black Sea region. The Ukraine-Turkey relationship is also undergirded by the significant bilateral defense and economic agreements inked by the current Turkish government. Turkey, as of 2021, is the largest foreign investor in Ukraine