NATO should increase pressure on Russia over Ukraine: Turkey

ANKARA

The NATO alliance should increase its pressure on Russia over Ukraine, Turkey’s parliament speaker has said, describing tension between NATO and Russia on the issue as a “fault line.”

“We should sensitively emphasize this [Ukraine]. Pressure must be increased [against Russia]. It’s not possible for the NATO alliance to behave as if nothing happened and to merely watch developments,” Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek said at a meeting with a delegation from the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Michael Turner, who is also the head of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

Turkey has long pursued a low profile stance within NATO on the ongoing Ukraine crisis. However, Çiçek’s statement indicates that Ankara may be moving further in line with the alliance on the issue. 

“Turkey is closely following developments. We do not approve of the Russian Federation’s fait accompli annexation of Crimea,” he said.