Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) of Turkey and Vladimir Putin of Russia speak during a tripartite summit on Syria in April 2018. The president of Iran also attended the summit in Ankara, which aimed to speed the peace process for Syria and bolster Turkish, Russian and Iranian influence there.
The relationship between the United States and Turkey just keeps getting worse. The two countries have clashed repeatedly in recent years over the conflict in Syria, over Turkey's friendship with Russia and over Islamist cleric Fethullah Gulen, who the Turkish government claims was involved in the country's attempted coup in 2016. And if Turkey continues refusing to compromise on key U.S. demands, the already poor relationship could suffer further if the United States acts on its sanctions threat. Cold War Companions In a twist of fate, Turkey and the United States are now being driven apart by what once brought them together: Russia. After the Soviet Union demanded greater control over the Turkish Straits, the United States became a welcome ally to Turkey. In return, Washington was able to use Turkey as a bulwark against Soviet expansion into the Middle East and Europe.
