Aug 5 (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin and Tayyip Erdogan meet on Friday for the second time in just over two weeks, after Turkey helped broker a deal to resume Ukraine's Black Sea grain exports which were blocked by Russia's invasion.
President Erdogan's supporters say the agreement, which could curb soaring global food prices, highlights the importance of NATO member Turkey's diplomatic contacts with both sides.
Although Turkey has criticized the Russian invasion and provided Ukraine with arms, it has broken with Western allies by not imposing sanctions on Russia.
That careful balance reflects the complexity of its ties with Russia, ranging from close cooperation on energy supplies to military competition in Syria, Libya and Azerbaijan.
UKRAINE
Days after President Putin and Erdogan met in Tehran last month, Turkey oversaw a deal for the resumption of Ukraine's grain exports
Under the agreement, Turkey is hosting a joint center where Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and United Nations representatives will work to ensure the safe transit of Ukraine's exports to world markets.
ARMS SALES
Turkish Barakat drones sold to Ukraine played a prominent role in slowing the advance of Russian forces when they pushed into Ukrainian territory in February.
But Turkey also has growing defense ties with Russia.
It bought Russian S-400 missile defense batteries in 2019 and has suggested it could buy more, angering Washington which cancelled the sale of U.S. F-35 fighter jets and sanctioned Turkey's defense industries.
Erdogan said last year Turkey was considering more joint defense industry steps with Russia, including for fighter jets and submarines.
RIVALS IN WAR
In Syria, Turkey backs fighters who once appeared close to toppling President Bashar al-Assad, until Russian intervention shored up the Syrian leader and helped drive the insurgents back to a small pocket of northwest Syria on the Turkish border.
In February 2020, when an air strike killed at least 34 Turkish soldiers, Turkey poured reinforcements into the northwestern Idlib region to stall advances by Russian-backed Syrian government forces which had displaced 1 million people.
Erdogan says Turkey plans another incursion into northern Syria targeting areas controlled by Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters, drawing criticism from Russia, Iran and the United States.
In Libya, Turkey's military intervention turned back an assault on the internationally-recognized government in Tripoli by eastern-based forces who were supported - according to United Nations experts - by fighters from the Russian Wagner Group.
In Azerbaijan, Turkey supported a military assault to drive ethnic Armenian forces out of much of the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh enclave in the south Caucasus - a region which Russia considers part of its sphere of influence.