ISTANBUL -- As tensions rise between the West and the Russia-China bloc, Turkey has taken on an increasingly unfettered and flexible role in the escalating geopolitical rivalry between the two sides.
Turkish leader looking to exploit tensions between West and Russia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes a video address to a summit in Kyiv on Sept. 11, with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, looking on. (Pool photo via Reuters)
ISTANBUL -- As tensions rise between the West and the Russia-China bloc, Turkey has taken on an increasingly unfettered and flexible role in the escalating geopolitical rivalry between the two sides.