The Biden administration has distanced itself from Turkey’s recent decision to release five military commanders of the Ukrainian Azov unit, a notorious neo-Nazi group. This move has been seen as a breach of agreement by Russia, with Moscow accusing Ankara of showing solidarity with NATO ahead of an upcoming summit in Lithuania. However, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has declined to comment on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s motivations for handing over the Azov leaders to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to Turkey on Saturday.
The individuals in question were captured by Russia in the city of Mariupol last year and were subsequently handed over to Turkey as part of a prisoner swap with Ukraine. The terms of the deal stipulated that Turkey would keep them in custody until the armed conflict in Ukraine is over. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has criticized Turkey for breaking its commitments, suggesting that the decision was made to show solidarity with NATO.
Some members of the press accompanying President Biden to the UK have speculated that Erdogan’s behavior reflects a perceived weakness of Russian President Vladimir Putin, following the failed rebellion by Evgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group private military company, last month.
Sullivan acknowledged that Turkey has had an ambivalent position regarding the Ukrainian conflict from the start, mentioning that Ankara had supplied sophisticated weaponry to Kiev. However, he stated that it is difficult to determine the extent to which Erdogan’s decision is related to Prigozhin or simply reflects his approach to the Ukraine conflict as a whole.
Moscow has long considered the Azov unit to be a terrorist group and has accused its members of committing war crimes during the battle for Mariupol. Western nations have also viewed the Ukrainian unit as extremist. In a 2021 TIME magazine investigation, Azov recruiters were found to openly express neo-Nazi ideologies while reaching out to white supremacists from around the world in order to recruit new members or inspire allies. However, since the hostilities in Ukraine began in February 2022, the Azov unit has been portrayed in Western media as heroic defenders of their nation who have overcome their extremist origins.
In conclusion, the Biden administration has refrained from commenting on Turkey’s decision to release the Azov leaders to Ukraine, emphasizing that they were not involved in the process and cannot speculate on Erdogan’s motivations. The release of the commanders has strained relations between Turkey and Russia, with Moscow accusing Ankara of breaching their agreement and showing solidarity with NATO. The Azov unit, considered a terrorist group by Moscow and formerly deemed extremist by Western nations, has been the subject of controversy due to its neo-Nazi ideologies and alleged war crimes. However, in recent months, the unit has been portrayed as heroic defenders in Western media.
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