Putin and Erdogan Talks Falter Over Syria

Reuters reports that Moscow and Ankara were unable to bridge fundamental differences over the Syrian conflict, which has become a three-way proxy war in which Russia is siding with the Shiite-backed regime of Bashar al-Assad against opposition forces backed by Sunni countries, both of which are battling Kurdish forces backed by Kurdish groups beyond Syria's borders. Talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan did not succeed in establishing coordination, highlighting a degree to which the foreign policy of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, which once sought to position Turkey as a regional mediator for all with all, has aligned poorly with Middle East geopolitics.