Turkey moves to mend ties to Russia amid rift with US

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pressed the United States to extradite the man he says was behind the failed insurrection and has sought more funds and visa-free travel from the European Union, but it’s unclear what leverage improved ties with Russia could give him.

After their talks in St. Petersburg’s ornate Konstantin Palace, both leaders emphasized their shared desire to rebuild ties, but it remained unclear if they could reach common ground on the Syrian crisis.

While Moscow has backed Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the nation’s civil war and further bolstered that support by launching an air campaign in September, Turkey has pushed for Assad’s removal and helped his foes.

Putin responded by ordering his government to start rebuilding ties with Turkey, and when Erdogan faced the botched coup attempt on July 15 the Russian leader quickly offered his support.

Moscow has accused the Turkish government of turning a blind eye to the flow of weapons and supplies to the Islamic State group and other extremists in Syria.