Beyond Idealism: The EU’s Pragmatic Approach in Foreign Policy Towards Türkiye and Russia

<div class="article-abstract data-section" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: Poppins; font-size: 14px;"><h3 class="kt-blog-post__title kt-heading kt-heading--md kt-heading--medium dergipark" style="margin: 3rem 0px 1rem; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2; font-size: 1.4rem; padding: 0px; color: rgb(162, 8, 61);">Öz</h3><p style="margin-bottom: 1rem; line-height: 2rem; margin-left: 0.75rem;">The European Union consistently proclaims its commitment to democratic principles as the normative foundation of its foreign policy, asserting that these values are the primary determinants shaping all external engagements. However, this idealistic and value-oriented rhetoric often stands in stark contrast to the EU’s practical conduct, which reflects a supranational actor increasingly governed by strategic calculations. This paper analyzes how such pragmatism manifests in the EU’s foreign policy by examining historical and contemporary case studies of its relations with Türkiye and Russia. It argues that the Union’s ability to align its actions with geopolitical interests is frequently achieved by masking its underlying pragmatism beneath a discourse of universal values. Despite its avowed adherence to democratic norms, the EU’s engagement with these two countries reveals a persistent, interest-based policy architecture. Moreover, the study demonstrates that the EU’s pragmatic approach is not a recent development, but rather an inherent and enduring feature of its external diplomacy—one that adapts in form depending on the strategic responses and political postures of the counterpart states. </div><div class="article-keywords data-section" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: Poppins; font-size: 14px;"><h3 class="kt-blog-post__title kt-heading kt-heading--md kt-heading--medium dergipark" style="margin: 3rem 0px 1rem; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2; font-size: 1.4rem; padding: 0px; color: rgb(162, 8, 61);">Anahtar Kelimeler</h3><p style="margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-left: 0.75rem;"><a href="https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/search?q=%22European%20Union%22" style="color: rgb(11, 88, 162);">European Union</a>&nbsp;<label style="margin-bottom: 0.5rem;">,</label>&nbsp;<a href="https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/search?q=%22Russia%22" style="color: rgb(11, 88, 162);">Russia</a>&nbsp;<label style="margin-bottom: 0.5rem;">,</label>&nbsp;<a href="https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/search?q=%22Foreign%20Policy%22" style="color: rgb(11, 88, 162);">Foreign Policy</a>&nbsp;<label style="margin-bottom: 0.5rem;">,</label>&nbsp;<a href="https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/search?q=%22Principled%20Pragmatism%22" style="color: rgb(11, 88, 162);">Principled Pragmatism</a>&nbsp;<label style="margin-bottom: 0.5rem;">,</label>&nbsp;<a href="https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/search?q=%22T%C3%BCrkiye%22" style="color: rgb(11, 88, 162);">Türkiye</a> </div>