The humanitarian situation in Ukraine has been deteriorating on a daily basis and an urgent cease-fire is necessary to prevent this, Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said in Brussels on Wednesday.
Noting that Turkey has been following a principled and consistent stance in Ukraine, Akar told journalists after attending a NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels that Ankara has good relations with Moscow and Kyiv.
He highlighted the need for an immediate cease-fire, saying that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has frequently voiced the idea that Turkey fully supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
"The humanitarian situation is deteriorating and this needs to be prevented. A cease-fire is a must for this," Akar said, noting that Turkish officials frequently voice this.
He also noted that Turkey will do whatever is possible to help the elderly, women and children affected by the ongoing war.
Akar also highlighted the importance of cooperation among NATO members in the face of threats.
"As NATO, we need to think carefully about the preservation of deterrence and defense, as well as the sustainability of our skills and potential in the short and long terms," Akar said. He noted that Turkey has been fighting many terrorist groups, including the PKK, its Syrian offshoot the YPG, Daesh and the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).
"We protect the European Union’s, Europe’s and NATO’s southeastern borders. What would happen to Europe If we do not wage the fight against terrorism, illegal migration?" Akar said, adding that Turkey’s counterterrorism fight does not only benefit the country but also its neighbors and allies.
Akar noted that he met with his American, British, French, Greek, Canadian and Latvian counterparts on the sidelines of the NATO meeting, all of which took place in a positive atmosphere.
Regarding the evacuation of Turkish citizens who took refuge in a mosque in Mariupol amid Russia’s attacks, Akar said Turkey continues to keep in touch with Russia and Ukraine to help them return home safely.
Russian troops put a blockade on the strategic Ukrainian port city Mariupol on Saturday.
Capturing Mariupol, a city of about 450,000 people on the Azov Sea, would represent a bigger prize for Russian forces as it would deal a severe blow to Ukraine's maritime access and connect troops coming from annexed Crimea and the Donbass region.
On Wednesday, Russian forces bombed a theater where civilians were sheltering in the encircled port city of Mariupol.
Turkey has evacuated 15,196 citizens since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Wednesday and continues to evacuate more citizens in coordination with Kyiv and Moscow.
Since Russia launched its war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, more than 2.5 million people have fled to other countries, with some 2 million more displaced within the country.
Maintaining its neutral and balanced stance, Turkey continues its diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the Ukraine conflict, urging restraint for all sides. While Ankara has opposed international sanctions aiming to isolate Moscow, it also closed the Bosporus and Dardanelles under a 1936 pact, allowing it to curb some Russian vessels from crossing the Turkish Straits. Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu traveled to Moscow on Wednesday and to Lviv on Thursday to meet with his counterparts.
NATO ally Turkey borders Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea and has good ties with both. Since the beginning of the conflict, Ankara has offered to mediate between the two sides and offered to host peace talks, also underlining its support to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.