One big Chess game. I noted that Erdogan has also positioned himself as a neutral in order that he can act as a mediator. Turkey is a NATO country, so he's treading a fine line between being compelled to act should any NATO territory come under attack, and being a conduit for communication with Putin.
I'm no fan of Erdogan, his own human rights record is pretty atrocious and his Govt have been responsible for torture, mass arrest of journalists, opposition figures, forced disappearances, deaths in custody etc, especially since the failed coup a few years ago.
But as easy as it is to say 'We should all condemn Putin' we need to make sure that he doesn't become so isolated that nobody knows what he's going to do next, or that he feels that he's boxed into a corner, where he will become desperate and unpredictable. As difficult as it seems to hold diplomatic relations with somebody who is flagrantly targeting civilians, schools, hospitals etc it is necessary in the long run to try and rein him in.
