President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his offer to host a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders in a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
The two leaders discussed the meeting between both countries’ delegations in Istanbul on Tuesday. Erdoğan said that the meeting took place in a constructive and positive manner, which raised hopes for peace.
Erdoğan further underlined that both sides need to act with common sense and that dialogue must be continued.
Putin, for his part, thanked Erdoğan for hosting the talks in Istanbul.
Erdoğan, who spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by phone on Thursday, has said Turkey is ready, in principle, to act as a security guarantor country for Ukraine, but the details of such a format need to be worked out. Ankara has offered to mediate in the conflict.
Addressing reporters on Friday, Erdoğan said that Zelenskyy has a positive attitude toward a face-to-face leaders' meeting with Putin, and Putin had expressed a positive stance too.
Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said his country would be grateful to Turkey if it could help organize a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders.
Erdoğan added that he will tell Putin that he and Zelenskyy need to take steps regarding Donbass and Crimea.
Conditions regarding these two regions are still obstacles between the two warring sides' negotiations, while Ukraine perceives Russian demands on the two regions as violations of its own territorial integrity.
Maintaining its neutral and balanced stance, Turkey continues its diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the Ukraine conflict, urging all sides to exercise restraint. While Ankara has opposed international sanctions designed to isolate Moscow, it also closed its straits to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing through them.
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 host peace talks, underlining its support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Having recently called Russia’s invasion an unacceptable violation of international law, Turkey has carefully formulated its rhetoric not to offend Moscow, with which it has close energy, defense and tourism ties.
While forging close ties with Russia in a number of areas and relying heavily on Russian tourists, Turkey has sold drones to Ukraine, which angered Moscow. Turkey also opposes Russian policies in Syria and Libya, as well as Moscow's annexation of Crimea. President Erdoğan has repeatedly said Turkey will not abandon its relations with Russia or Ukraine, underlining that Ankara's ability to speak to both sides is an asset.
The Russia-Ukraine war, which started on Feb. 24, has sparked international outrage with the European Union, United States and the United Kingdom, among others, imposing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.
