NATO to aid Turkey in hopes of preventing full-fledged clash with Russia, sources say

NATO plans to send air defense support to Turkey partly to minimize the risk of Ankara shooting down another Russian warplane while assuaging its fears of a spillover from the conflict in Syria, senior alliance sources say.

 

The mission, expected to be approved by the Western defense alliance’s council on Friday, has been under preparation for 10 months, long before the incident with Russia, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said it is not linked.

 

But NATO sources said the shooting down had galvanized allies to come forward with more support and tailor the assistance to help lower tensions between Moscow and Ankara by taking a role in managing Turkish airspace.

 

“NATO rules of engagement are more cautious than those of Turkey,” said one NATO source.

 

While the US-led alliance publicly backed Turkey after its fighters downed a Russian bomber that strayed into its airspace from Syria on Nov. 24 in the first such incident since the Cold War, several allies were privately alarmed and urged restraint.

 

Read More: NATO to aid Turkey in hopes of preventing full-fledged clash with Russia, sources say – Middle East – Jerusalem Post