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Ukraine pressure case and Idlib clashes, February 2020
Summary
A retrospective on two separate disputes that drew attention in the days before 5 February 2020: the Senate trial over Ukraine and fighting between Turkey and Syria.
What was at stake on 5 February 2020, as the impeachment trial of Donald Trump moved towards its conclusion in the US Senate? Two stories dominated the days before it, and they were unrelated.
On 3 February 2020, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin asked colleagues to consider censuring Trump as an alternative to impeachment. The censure idea concerned Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate domestic political rivals. Manchin was considered friendly with the White House.
Idlib flares
The same day, Syrian Army shelling killed Turkish military personnel in Idlib Governorate, and Turkish forces retaliated. Turkish President Erdoğan said the shelling killed five Turkish soldiers and three civilian personnel, with nine others injured. A pro-opposition war monitor said the Turkish response killed 13 Syrian soldiers, which Syria denied.
The Russian Ministry of Defence said Turkey had moved troops inside the de-escalation zone without notifying the Russian side. Erdoğan said the Russians needed to stand aside.
The clashes came during the northwestern Syria offensive that began in December 2019 and lasted until March 2020, and they involved Turkey directly in the fighting.
