The Turkish public’s trust in Russia has declined while trust in the United States has increased, a public opinion poll published this month shows, revealing the impact of the conflict between Ankara and Moscow’s regional policies. 

The “Turkish Foreign Policy Public Perceptions” survey conducted by Istanbul's Kadir Has University in April found that support for Russia declined by 14 percentage points from last year as the number of people who see Russia as a threat jumped to 55% from 44.2% in 2019. In parallel, the poll suggests that the overall trust in the United States has increased. The number of people who see the United States as a threat declined by some 11 percentage points, decreasing 70% from 81.3% in 2019.

The United States’ support for the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the Washington administration’s policies vis-a-vis the Kurds in the Middle East were the top two answers from respondents about what they saw as the most important problem in ties between the two NATO allies. Washington’s support for the PYD was the top reason for distrust at 34%, while 27.2% of respondents pointed to the United States’ "Kurdish policies in the Middle East.”

Turkey sees the PYD and its military arm the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units as terrorist organizations and wants the United States to designate them as such. Yet the Kurdish groups remain the United States' most reliable ally in Syria.