The United States prevents Russia and the European Union from rapprochement, using Turkey and Ukraine as a counterforce, French author and specialist in geopolitics Alexandre del Valle said.
"I believe that Washington is interested in a strong Europe, especially if it had closer ties with Russia. This is why [the conflict in] Ukraine and Turkey’s involvement in European affairs are tools the US is using to divide Europe and prevent it from dialogue with Russia," the analyst told RIA Novosti.
According to del Valle, the US is pursuing the goal to "destabilize Europe and make it a weak geopolitical actor."
He claimed that Turkey along with Albania and Kosovo is a "transit country for illegal migrants."
In November 2015 Turkey shot down a Russian jet Su-24 on anti-terror mission in Syria under pretext that it violated Turkish airspace. Russia accused Turkey of aiding terrorism and imposed embargo on Turkish food export.
Since 2014, the United States and European Union have introduced several rounds of sanctions targeting Russian individuals and key sectors of its economy. The sanctions were initially imposed in response to Crimea becoming part of Russia and Western allegations of Russian involvement in the Ukraine crisis. Russia has repeatedly refuted allegations of meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs.
