Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in Ukraine on March 20 for a day of official talks with President Petro Poroshenko against the backdrop of the Ukrainian crisis the West and Russia are currently embroiled in. Erdogan’s visit was billed as the fourth meeting of the High Level Cooperation Council set up in 2011 to promote political and economic ties between the two countries.

Erdogan’s carefully choreographed balancing act in Kiev, however, had much more to do with the Turkey’s delicate ties with Russia than it did with any considerations about potential Western sensitivity. There have been grumblings in Western capitals because Turkey is not toeing the line on Ukraine, by refusing to support Western sanctions against Moscow, despite being a key NATO ally.

Ankara defends itself by pointing to its refusal to accept Russia’s fait accompli in Crimea, and stressing the importance it gives to Ukraine’s territorial integrity. It has, however, maintained what amounts to a relatively neutral position by refusing to get actively dragged into the Ukrainian crisis.

The balancing act Turkey has been maintaining between Russia and Ukraine is not only based on geostrategic considerations but also has to do with its vast economic interest in both countries worth tens of billions of dollars in trade and contracting, not to mention the energy sector.