Ukraine conflict: Why it really matters to Turkey

For Turkey, a war across the Black Sea doesn't just have immediate importance - it strikes at the very heart of Turkish history.

As MEE's Ankara bureau chief Ragip Soylu writes, every Turkish schoolchild is taught that the Ottoman Empire and Russia were locked in a battle for control over the warm water ports, and Moscow has always had its eye on extending its influence south. Soylu reports:

Ankara believes it has fundamental interests in Ukraine. Every Turkish official who spoke to MEE was quick to mention Crimea and the brotherly Crimean Tatars, who are seen as Turkic, as something that necessitates Turkey’s full attention on Ukraine. Erdogan said Turkey will never recognise Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea. 

“Ukraine is like a dam that stops further Russian influence and pressure in the region,” a Turkish official told Middle East Eye. “If Ukraine falls, it will have direct implications on Turkey." 

Ukraine conflict: Why it really matters to Turkey