Turkey and Ukraine’s agreement to cooperate in constructing LNG terminals in the Black Sea, an area of recent intense geopolitical rivalry between Ukraine and its Western allies, signifies much closer ties between Ankara and Kyiv.

Yaroslav Demchenkov, Ukraine’s deputy minister for European Integration, said, “Cooperation with the Republic of Turkey regarding LNG supplies is a priority for us.”. Turkey has announced several new natural gas field finds in the Black Sea recently. LNG terminals would obviate the need for pipelines to bring natural gas to markets.

Turkey’s government fully supports Ukraine’s aspirations to join it as a NATO member state. Ankara is also now a more open actor in areas of the former USSR like the Caucasus. It helped Azerbaijan build an army that retook lands occupied by Armenia for nearly three decades in 2020.