Turkey and Ukraine Forge an Unlikely Alliance

Geopolitics often makes for strange bedfellows, and at times countries with little in common politically or culturally still form agreements and alliances that make strategic sense. This was exemplified last week, when Ukraine and Turkey signed a number of political, economic and military deals during Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's visit to Ankara on March 8-9. Poroshenko noted that the key achievement of his visit was the strengthening of security and defense ties between the two countries, and he thanked his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for his commitment to supporting Ukraine's territorial integrity. 

The statement was a direct reference to Russia, the common rival bringing Ukraine and Turkey closer together. In Ukraine's case, Russia is backing the separatists in eastern Ukraine, while in Turkey's case, Russia is supporting the forces of Syrian President Bashar al Assad and enabling the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in the Syrian conflict. Both Ukraine and Turkey have been engaged in indirect military combat operations against Russia and have seen relations with Moscow deteriorate as a result.