Ukraine, Russia conflict and Pakistan and Turkey

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky

Karachi … News Time

As soon as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in his country after completing his visit to Pakistan and India, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to leave for Ukraine, and in less than a day, 35 Thousands of Russian troops marched on the borders of eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Turkey on April 9, 2021 to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, where he asked for a drone from the Turkish president, and Moscow has warned that if action is taken against separatists in Ukraine. Russia could intervene to help the Russian-speaking population of eastern Ukraine. Russia’s position in this regard is that the President of Ukraine is Volodymyr Zelensky and the recent conflict has its roots in the annexation of the Crimean region of Ukraine to Russia in March 2014. After this incident, there was a huge gap between the Western nations and Russia. The European Union and the United States have imposed sanctions on Russia. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko had said that NATO could not get rid of the habit of seeing Russia as a permanent threat from the East. A month later, Russian-backed rebels, mostly Russian-speaking Donbass, seized control of Donetsk and Luhasnik. Western nations and NATO accuse Russia of sending troops to Ukraine, but Russia says it is a volunteer if there are any Russian fighters there. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky came to power with a promise of peace and signed a ceasefire in July last year. Since then, the parties have been accusing each other of violating the law. Clashes between Russian-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces continue in the eastern part of the country. A senior Russian official, Dmitry Kozak, says Russia will not be shot in the leg but in the face.

According to international newspapers, White House Press Secretary Jane Psaki said that since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine in 2014, Russia has the largest number of troops stationed on the border. He described the situation as “very worrying”.Russia has not given details of its troops stationed on the border, but the Ukrainian military estimates there were 20,000 Russian troops there by March, but international newspapers put the number at around 35,000. A video released on social media by Russian forces shows heavy weapons being transported to the area in a train. The death toll has risen to 25 since the Ukrainian soldier was killed on April 8. Last year, 50 Ukrainian soldiers were killed, with rebels telling the BBC that one of their fighters had been killed by 14 mortar shells fired by Ukrainian troops on a village on the outskirts of the Donetsk city. The gravity of the situation in the region can be gauged from the fact that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky visited the region on April 10 and assessed the intensity of the fighting, as well as the difficult times in Donbass assured to be with the soldiers. Dozens of US ships were immediately dispatched to the Black Sea, and the United States has instructed the European Union to send troops to the Black Sea in defense of Ukraine.

“We are keeping a close eye on the situation, especially the movement of the Russian military, and call on all parties to exercise restraint and work to end tensions immediately,” the German Foreign Ministry and the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Berlin and Paris reaffirmed their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, while accusing Russia of having thousands of troops along its common borders as well as on the Crimean peninsula. According to European newspapers, Russia has accused NATO of taking the path of aggression and confrontation, but has not spoken about the flights of its fighter jets on April 11. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has called on Moscow to resume talks. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on April 12 during US Secretary of State Anthony Belkin’s visit to NATO headquarters that relations with Russia should be stable and not subject to unforeseen ups and downs. According to NATO, Russian fighter jets have never violated NATO airspace. NATO officials say their planes prevented Russian planes from advancing at 12 locations. Norwegian F-16s intercepted two Russian TU95 bears off the coast of Norway. Russian planes then flew south into the North Sea, forcing British and Belgian air force planes to move. Two Russian Air Force TU160 Blackjack bombers were later forced to retreat by the Norwegian Air Force. Allied aircraft also landed on the Black Sea via Russian aircraft.

Meanwhile, the Italian Air Force forced a Russian patrol ship to turn around near Kaliningrad in the Baltics. Tensions between Russia and NATO have not eased since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine. The relationship was further strained by strong US opposition to the Nord Stream Two gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. US Secretary of State Anthony Belkin had said that companies participating in the project could be subject to US sanctions. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said last week that Russia had offered to resume talks at the level of NATO and the Russian Council, which has not met since 2019. During the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Russia has promised all kinds of defense assistance to Pakistan and on the contrary, India has flatly refused Russia in this regard. During his visit to India, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and at the request of the United States, India canceled a کا 5.5 billion deal to buy F4 defense missiles. Pakistan is buying missiles and Russia has also reduced its price. In addition, there have been agreements on the purchase of Russian weapons, and this is likely to increase. On the other hand, Turkey, the European Union, the United States and Ukraine are lining up against Russia. Is there a fear of a gulf between Pakistan and Turkey in Russia’s friendship? Pakistan needs a balanced foreign policy in the Ukraine-Russia war.

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