President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the process of negotiations with Russia and the latest situation on the ground in a phone call late Friday, as the war in the country rages on.
Erdoğan told Zelenskyy that Turkey during the recent NATO leaders’ meeting underlined the territorial integrity of Ukraine while conveying to other leaders the active and principled policy that Ankara is pursuing in this regard.
The Turkish president reiterated to mobilize all kinds of help that is necessary during this process.
The extraordinary meeting of NATO heads of state and government discussed the alliance's response to Russia's war on Ukraine, which entered its second month on Thursday.
The summit, with a particular focus on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, reviewed the steps the alliance will take to strengthen its defense and deterrence.
Turkey has been one of the countries leading efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has impacted millions of civilians. Turkey says it can facilitate peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, but says that a cease-fire and humanitarian corridors are needed first.
Ankara hosted the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine in Antalya earlier this month. Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov of Russia and Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine met for talks in the Turkish resort town of Antalya, which Çavuşoğlu also attended. The talks were largely inconclusive, but Ankara considers the fact that they took place at all a success.
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 on energy, defense and trade, 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. 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.