President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war in a phone call with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, held at Rutte’s request.
The two leaders exchanged views on the latest developments in the war, as well as regional and global issues. Erdoğan underlined the progress made in the Istanbul negotiations aimed at securing a lasting cease-fire between Moscow and Kyiv, stressing that Türkiye considers it important for this process to also enable positive steps on humanitarian matters.
Rutte shared assessments on the situation in Ukraine ahead of the upcoming Alaska Summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Erdoğan said Türkiye is closely following the planned meeting in Alaska.
The rival sides met earlier in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2 amid U.S. pressure to agree on a cease-fire to end the three-year-old conflict. Despite the urging of U.S. President Donald Trump, no major breakthrough was made.
Ankara is keen on boosting its international profile as a key mediator and utilizes Istanbul’s symbolic location to promote diplomacy between the parties involved in conflicts and disagreements on a global level.
NATO member Türkiye is one of the most active countries working to ensure a permanent cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia. Its delicately balanced act of assuming a role as a mediator by keeping communication channels with both warring sides open provides a glimmer of hope in diplomatic efforts to find a solution and achieve peace in the Ukraine crisis. With its unique position of maintaining friendly relations with both Russia and Ukraine, Türkiye has garnered widespread praise for its efforts to end the war.
While Ankara has opposed international sanctions aimed at isolating Moscow, it has also closed its straits to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing through them.
