Turkey urges Russia to drop ‘one-sided’ NATO Demands

In News

• Turkey urged Russia to drop “one-sided” demands and adopt a more constructive approach in its stand-off with Western powers and NATO over Ukraine.

About

• Turkey: A NATO member has maintained close ties with Russia and Ukraine, missing no opportunity to play both sides of the West’s rivalry with Russia.
• Combat drones: Turkey is creating problems for Russia by supplying combat drones to Ukraine that Russia fears could be used by Ukraine in its conflict with separatists in two eastern regions.
• Advanced missile defence system: Turkey has also upset Washington and NATO by acquiring an advanced missile defence system from Russia that resulted in sanctions from the United States.

Russia’s stand

• No new membership: NATO must not allow any new members to the U.S.-led military alliance and called for no new military bases to be established in ex-Soviet countries.
• Tense moment: The publication of the draft agreements, an unusual step in international diplomacy, comes at a tense moment in Russia’s ties with the West.
• Legal guarantees: Russia blames NATO for the rise in tensions, demanding “legal guarantees” the alliance won’t expand eastwards.
• Limits on the deployment of missiles: It called for limits on the deployment of missiles and said that NATO members should “commit themselves to refrain from further enlargement” of the group.
• Binding security guarantee: Russia wants NATO to provide Moscow with a binding security guarantee and withdraw its forces to positions they held before a wave of eastward expansion that began after the Soviet Union’s collapse.

West’s stand

• Troops: The West has accused Russia of preparing an imminent invasion, claiming Russia has deployed tens of thousands of troops along Ukraine’s borders.
• Negotiation: The U.S. pushed back at the Russian proposals, saying it would not negotiate without Europe’s input.

Reasons of the Issue

Latest:

• Intelligence Reports say Russia has moved 70,000 troops to its border with Ukraine and is preparing for a possible invasion early next year.
• Moscow denies any intention to attack and accuses Ukraine of planning an offensive to reclaim control of rebel-held eastern Ukraine.

Background:

• Fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine began after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.
• It has killed over 14,000 people and devastated Ukraine’s industrial heartland, known as the Donbas.

Way Ahead

• Alliance: Russia and the alliance should work to “prevent incidents” in the Baltics and the Black Sea region
• A telephone hotline: should be established for “emergency contacts”.
• International cooperation is needed: to solve the ever-increasing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
• Restrain from any wrong move: Both the countries should restrain from any move leading to escalation of the tension.

Source: TH