The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine is a serious threat to global peace. Several times, the Kremlin had directly and indirectly hinted at using nuclear weapons on the battlefield. Without a doubt, that would be a total disaster. Russian President Vladimir Putin's statements show that Moscow will get more aggressive.

In this context, a neutral, reliable and strong mediator will positively change the course of this human-made calamity. Turkey, as the Black Sea neighbor for both sides, appears as a key mediator. The country’s neutral position works as a de-escalation strategy in this conflict as the Turkish military is a stunning powerhouse among NATO allies. According to some Western minds, Turkey's presence in the alliance is the first military resistance line where the Turkish military would take part in trench warfare. However, Ankara stands firm with its neutral position while embracing humanitarian and constructive policies and engaging with all sides.

Why Ankara is neutral

Some media platforms are covering this war as if it’s going on between Russia and Turkey instead of Ukraine because of the Turkish drones, previously purchased by Kyiv and now used on the ground. Contrary, the purchase of drones was just a part of a bilateral trade made within international law norms. That means the drones used by Ukraine are not "Turkish" at the moment but "Ukrainian."

Turkey has been fighting against the terrorist groups PKK and Deash for years. What sort of weapons and equipment do these terrorists use against Turkey, including in Iraq and Syria? Weapons made in Sweden, Russia, the United States, France, China, Germany and so on. The list is long. For example, the most common weapon used by the PKK is the Russian-made AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikov.

Meanwhile, NATO’s expansion in Europe was a mistake. The current tacit issues among NATO members are visible. Going head to head with Russia without solving the existing problems in the alliance has surfaced hypocrisy and deepened the thought that Turkey is on one side and other members on the other. Several times, Ankara warned the NATO allies and called for a collective stance; however, they didn’t respond. Now, unfortunately, the war is on the European continent. We have seen this scenario in Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Libya, Syria and Iraq.

A message to West

On the other side, the Russia-Ukraine war should be a lesson for Westerners to put away their superiority mindset and adopt an equal and mutual approach. The Western reputation is already in tatters because of their double standards toward crises in Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan.

We also see in the Ukraine crisis that the Western policy of "donating money" to third countries to prevent the influx of refugees is also meaningless, impractical and useless.

What we see in general is that NATO's inactivity, neglect and immobility in the Middle East and Crimea have encouraged Russia to finally test NATO's integrity and capability at home. It’s really time for Western-dominated alliances to change the destructive and provocative actions to prudent, collective and facilitating movements for all.

Asia in the Ukraine crisis

My impression is that Japan and South Korea acted faster than some in Europe even in imposing the sanctions on Russia. This is not because the two countries are pro-war nations but due to the China factor. They will expect the same swift action from their Western allies when needed.

There are persistent calls for China to also take the West's side against Russia in the crisis. Chinese may think that there is a need for a solution but why must it be the way Westerners want? From my point of view, Beijing will just watch the strategic moves of both sides and observe the outcomes, which will enable the Chinese leadership to evaluate the Western and Russian maneuvering power. It is unlikely to see China's active engagement in the conflict – whether positive or negative like a superpower. This position is described as non-interfering and neutral by Beijing and silent by the West. Beijing will most likely watch till the last moment, benefitting the most from it.