© Reuters
– Photo from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev just two years ago.
Russia has condemned the United States’ decision to send another 2,000 troops to Eastern Europe as a “destructive” step in a new day of diplomatic efforts to tackle the Ukrainian crisis.
It is “unjustified”, but it will “fascinate” the Ukrainian authorities, who will continue to sabotage the Minsk agreements, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko. According to him before “Interfax” this “destructive move intensifies military tensions and narrows the field for political decision.”
The Pentagon confirmed last night that the deployment of US forces in Romania and Poland is separate from alerting 8,500 troops ready to be sent to Europe if necessary.
At the same time, Defense Ministry spokesman John Kirby, when asked if Russia was actually planning an invasion, said: “We still do not believe he has made a decision.” According to Washington and London, such an invasion is imminent.
The Pentagon also confirmed that US and NATO written responses to de-escalation published in Spanish El Pais, Spain (called by him “leaked in a European news publication”) are authentic.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who commented for the first time on Tuesday on US responses to Russia’s security assurances, yesterday spoke with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. According to The Kremlin he reiterated that NATO was failing to respond adequately to Russia’s concerns about Ukraine and the Alliance’s presence in Eastern Europe.
The test for Erdogan
Meanwhile, after Johnson’s visit to Ukraine, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives in Ukraine. In the afternoon, he will be received by his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, a meeting that is formally regular (within the Ukraine-Turkey Strategic Council and with the signing of a trade agreement), but is in fact part of diplomatic efforts to tackle the crisis.
According to Erdogan, who is trying to balance friendship with Ukraine and close co-operation with Russia and counterpart Vladimir Putin (even in conflict regions where Moscow and Ankara are on different sides), Russia’s invasion of the “unusual country” Ukraine is not a “realistic scenario” .
At the same time, the Turkish leader, who in recent weeks, in the midst of an economic crisis, has focused on international diplomacy (and is looking for new bridges to the Persian Gulf, Israel and even Armenia), wants to prevent an escalation threatening Turkey’s security in the Black Sea basin and alliances. Ankara is also selling Kiev drones that have already been used against the separatists in Donbass, and this angered Putin.
Putin in Turkey
Turkey has often been criticized in NATO, and especially in the United States, for buying Russian S-400 systems, and has angered Kiev with the Turkish Stream surrounding Ukraine. However, like the rest of the Alliance, despite its complicated relations with Russia, it does not recognize the annexation of Crimea and shows diplomatic support for Ukraine.
A signal that Ankara does not intend to back down from the latter was a White House statement between US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Erdogan’s adviser Ibrahim Cullen, which spoke of their commitment to “stop further Russian aggression against Ukraine. “.
However, Turkey also sent signals to Russia before the visit: Defense Minister Hulusi Akara stressed that Ankara remains committed to the 1936 Montreux Convention (otherwise questioned by the authorities), which can be used to restrict NATO forces’ access to the Black Sea via the Bosphorus. There is also a precedent: in 2008, during the conflict in Georgia, Turkey did not launch American ships into the Black Sea.
Earlier Erdogan invited Putin and Zelenski to talks in Turkey. Before meeting with the Ukrainian leader, he even announced this morning that he was expecting the Russian leader after his visit to China (Putin will be there for the start of the Beijing Games). It is not specified whether or not this visit will include a meeting with Zelenski.
Moscow has already rejected Ankara’s initiative, arguing that it is not a party to the Donbas conflict and that it is not planning an invasion, although it has amassed troops near Ukraine, so there is nothing to discuss in such a format. On the other hand, the Kremlin has made it clear that Zelensky is welcome to negotiate with Putin, but in Russia and not for Donbass.
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