1in.am A commentator from RIA Novosti has referred to the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict as the "Second Crimean War." This refers to the war of 1853-55, which Tsarist Russia waged on several fronts. It ended with a not-so-favorable outcome for Russia. According to open sources, for example, the Tsarist government was only able to close the budget gap caused by enormous wartime expenses in... 1897.
Two facts are more striking. Five years after the Crimean War, serfdom was abolished in Russia, and to halt the economic decline, the Tsarist government was forced to sell Alaska to the United States. This deal likely also had a political significance, as unlike Great Britain and France, the USA did not have direct involvement in military operations against Russia.
The press secretary of the President of Russia, Peskov, has received the impression from the discussions on the first day of the NATO summit in Ankara that the US President's view on Ukraine "has not changed." Turkish sources have reported that within the framework of the NATO summit, "President Erdoğan and British Prime Minister Starmer will sign a military cooperation agreement."
As a result of the Crimean War, Tsarist Russia lost the right to have a military fleet in the Black Sea. This was restored after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. Currently, the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy is significantly weakened, while Turkey is already supplying warships to European countries.
If the information about the British-Turkish military cooperation agreement is close to reality, it means that Turkey is openly revealing itself as an enemy of Russia regarding the Ukraine issue. Of course, the London-Ankara "military alliance" also touches upon the interests of France and Greece, as well as Israel, but it is more significant that Istanbul will no longer be a platform for Russian-Ukrainian negotiations.
It turns out that, just like in the Crimean War, today Russia's "damaged reputation can only be saved by the USA." But at what cost? Russia has no "Alaska to sell."
* This text was automatically translated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
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