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What did the Senate trial mean for Ukraine?
Summary
A look back at 5 February 2020, as the Trump impeachment trial kept Ukraine in Washington's politics while a separate crisis unfolded in Idlib.
What was Ukraine's place in the argument over Donald Trump's fate on 5 February 2020? It was the subject at the centre of the impeachment trial in the US Senate, which concerned his efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate domestic political rivals.
Two days earlier, on 3 February 2020, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin asked colleagues to consider censuring Trump as an alternative to impeachment. Manchin was considered friendly with the White House, which gave the suggestion added weight as a possible middle path.
A parallel crisis in Idlib
Regional security was also under strain. On 3 February 2020, Syrian Army shelling killed Turkish military personnel in Idlib Governorate, and Turkish forces retaliated. A pro-opposition war monitor said 13 Syrian soldiers died; Syria denied this. Turkish President Erdoğan said five Turkish soldiers and three civilian personnel were killed and nine others injured. He said the Russians needed to stand aside.
The Russian Ministry of Defence said Turkey had moved troops inside the de-escalation zone without notifying the Russian side. The two exchanges show how Ukraine-related politics in Washington and Russia-linked tensions near Turkey's border were unfolding side by side.
