Turkey and Russia Near Breaking Point in Syrian Standoff
Source: Bloomberg
As Turkey slides toward war with Russian-backed Syrian forces, Ankara has appealed to the U.S. and European allies for support in a conflict that risks undermining the friendly ties he’s built with Moscow. The about-turn comes as the threat rises of a mass refugee movement toward Turkey, and of the defeat of Turkish-backed rebels in Syria.
Ankara’s answer is to reach out to Washington to ask for a pair of Patriot missile-defense batteries to be deployed on the Syrian border. It needs the U.S.-operated Patriots to deter Russian air strikes in support of an offensive on Idlib, the last rebel stronghold in Syria, by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey also signaled its readiness to accept similar support from European allies.
The request is an abrupt change of tack for Erdogan after years of goading the U.S. and European partners, and underlines how much is at stake for Turkey as it wades into the Syrian conflict on the opposing side to Russia. While Turkey insists it will avoid any confrontation with Russian forces, the pressure on Erdogan to respond is rising as the toll of Turkish casualties mounts.
“We’re on the edge of the precipice and we need to come to a deal,” said Irina Zvyagelskaya, a Middle East expert at the state-funded Institute of Oriental Studies in Moscow. The latest Turkish deaths this week brought home the dangerous and unpredictable nature of the situation, and “should be a wake-up call,” she said.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-21/turkey-and-russia-near-breaking-point-in-syria-military-standoff
As war between Turkey, Syria, and Russia loom on the horizon, Erdogan has pulled a 180 and come crawling back to the West for military and humanitarian assistance. Now he is asking (quite ironically) for a pair of US Patriot missile systems to deploy in southern Turkey to threaten Russian air assets. Quite a troublesome request as these systems would have US service members at their controls.
There are also reports out in the twitterverse that Russia has struck Turkish armored forces and destroyed several of their tanks.
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