Tension between Russia and Turkey has reached a new peak as the two countries step up military action in Syria in support of opposing sides, edging closer to direct confrontation in the country’s increasingly internationalised war.
The growing rift between the two countries — with each now attacking rebels the other supports — has alarmed western diplomats amid fears Russia is seeking to undermine Nato by ramping up its clash with Ankara.
“It seems to us that just like in the Baltics, Russia wants to try and push at Nato’s ability to stand behind all its members,” said a Nato official. A senior European official said Russian president Vladimir Putin was seeking to destabilise Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his Turkish opposite number.