Feb 3, 2020

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in Ukraine today to sign a deal providing the Ukrainian army with assistance funding amid mounting tensions in Turkish-Russian ties following the death of at least eight Turks in Idlib during an exchange of fire with Russian-backed Syrian regime forces.

Why it matters: Erdogan didn’t hold back from criticizing Moscow from its long-time enemy Ukraine, which had been at war with Russia since 2014.

“The developments in Idlib have become intolerable. We have been very patient,” Erdogan said during the joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky. “Right now, nearly a million people are escaping toward our borders as a result of the regime’s barrel bombs and unfortunately due to Russia’s negligence.”

Five Turkish soldiers and three civilian military personnel were killed by shelling from Syrian government forces as part of Damascus’ offensive against the war-torn country’s last rebel stronghold.

With ironic timing, Erdogan and Zelensky also signed several cooperation agreements, including a military assistance funding package for the Ukrainian army worth some $33 million.