This week, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will visit Ukraine, during which the parties are expected to sign a free trade agreement. Besides, Ankara wants to offer Kyiv to mediate its dialogue with Moscow, thus replacing Minsk.

Should Ukraine accept this offer? And what are the potential pitfalls?

Senior analyst at the Center in Modern Turkish Studies (Carleton University) Dr. Yevgeniya Gaber shares her thoughts on the subject in her interview with European Pravda’s editor Yuriy Panchenko. Watch the entire video on EP’s YouTube channel. Or read the takeaways in our article Erdogan’s Proposal: What Ukraine Should Expect in its relations with Turkey.

Here is what Ms. Gaber said:

"We must be realistic. One shouldn’t expect a serious pro-Ukrainian sentiment from Turkey in the potential negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow. However, Ankara could be of use in some of the areas. For instance, it could help release Kremlin’s political prisoners, including Crimean Tatars that Ankara takes care of."

"Turkey’s dualistic foreign policy is something of a tradition. It tries to keep the balance between Ukraine and Russia, the two countries at war with each other."

"I believe that Mr. Erdogan’s relations with Volodymyr Zelensky have evolved greatly. Even though Kyiv and Ankara enjoy a good relationship now, it took time to develop it."

"It is no secret that Erdogan and Vladimir Putin share similar governing approaches and platforms. Yet, their relations between the two have also been tainted by several crises and quarrels. I am referring to the plane shot down in 2015 and the Syrian case when, despite having an agreement, Russia continued to bomb Syria, killing some Turkish soldiers. Erdogan took that personally." 

Find out more about Turkey’s foreign policy in Mr. Panchenko’s article in Ukrainian Erdogan’s Proposal: What Ukraine Should Expect in Its Relations with Turkey.