Moscow-Ankara relations have been experiencing an unprecedented level of partnership simultaneously with aplethora of disputes between the actors. They have managed to continue cooperation without letting the emergingdisagreements cause crises similar to the Su-24 Jet incident of 2015. This study examines Russian-Turkish relationssince 2016 to expose how this alignment emerged and how the two actors operate in this partnership. After reviewingthe literature that highlights the limitations and fragility of the cooperation, the authors shed light on the ideationalconvergence that allowed the alignment, arguing that it served as the basis of the current pragmatist and personalisticrelations. Moreover, four main characteristics of this alignment are explained: risk-aversion as the priority, relianceon personalistic relations between the leaders, focus on resolving issues among themselves instead of including nonregionalactors, and economic pragmatism. Then, the risks that could potentially cause a collapse of this partnershipare discussed, emphasizing the danger caused by the accumulation of unresolved disputes and political uncertaintiesin bilateral relations. The authors argue that under the current conditions, the partnership is fragile and will be testedby upcoming challenges.

This article was submitted 30.03.20223