Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements Friday with Turkey and the UN clearing the way for exporting millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain, ending a standoff that had threatened food security around the globe. During the signing ceremony, Turkey’s President Erdogan played up his role as a statesman and Turkey’s role in mediating the agreement. Despite this deal, however, Erdogan has alarmed the US on a number of fronts. Henri Barkey, the Cohen Professor of International Relations at Lehigh University and an adjunct senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins me to break down why this deal is significant and whether it’s a win for Turkey, and looks at how Erdogan remains a headache for President Biden. 

You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:

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