As the Russo-Ukrainian War inches forward towards the one-year mark, Türkiye has used its unique position – as a NATO member and as the only remaining connection of Russia to the West – to both arm Ukraine as well as host several rounds of peace talks and negotiating the Black Sea grain deal. Though Türkiye has remained the friendliest of all the NATO countries towards Moscow, it is also the only NATO country that has supplied armament to Ukraine without the explicit condition not to use these against targets located inside Russia. Ukraine has gladly made use of that operational flexibility, using its Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs to strike targets in Russia's Kursk and Belgorod Oblasts on numerous occasions. [1] [2] Its strategic leniency is not the only thing that distinguishes it amongst Ukraine's allies however, with its military support ranking as one of the most expansive of all NATO members.

 

If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality. (By Desmond Tutu)

Western countries have scrambled to provide the Ukrainian military with an expansive arsenal of military hardware and ammunition to help it fend off an onslaught of Russian offensives throughout Ukraine. Many of these weapon systems are relatively easy to use and readily available from Western stocks, while others are of greater complexity, in some cases requiring weeks of training for Ukrainian servicemen to master their new mounts. This includes types such as the PzH 2000 self-propelled gun (SPG) delivered by the Netherlands and Germany, as well as M270 and HIMARS multiple rocket launchers (MRLs) donated by the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. [1] [2]

  

Six weeks into Russia's invasion of Ukraine it can be argued that the full array of issues affecting the Russian military and its operational planning have been laid bare. Setting out to first seize Kyiv within days in order to have a strong position in negotiations with the West about the future status of Ukraine in exchange for a reduction of sanctions, it suddenly finds itself a month past that deadline with meagre territorial gains, an army in tatters and severe reputational damage, not to mention an economy buckling under some of the heaviest sanctions ever instated on a nation. [1]