Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg discussed the latest situation in Ukraine as it continues fighting against Russian attacks.
Çavuşoğlu and Stoltenberg also exchanged views on the upcoming NATO summit and the alliance's expansion over the phone, Turkish diplomatic sources said Monday.
Lithuania will host a NATO summit in the capital Vilnius on July 11-12, its first since Ankara approved Finland's accession bid and the bloc welcomed its 31st member earlier in April.
Türkiye, a 72-year NATO member, has close ties with both Russia and Ukraine and has sought to balance relations through the war. Early in the conflict, it hosted the first high-level talks between the sides. It has since been actively working to ensure a permanent cease-fire, as well as leading a delicately balanced mediator role by keeping communication channels with both sides open, calling for diplomatic efforts and stressing that the war can only “end at the negotiation table.”
Turkish mediation has so far helped broker, alongside the U.N., a deal that unlocked key Ukrainian ports to secure grain shipments through the Black Sea, a prisoner swap between the two countries, and establish a humanitarian corridor to transfer both prisoners and civilians.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan often holds phone calls with his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts to help smooth out flaring tensions and convey Türkiye’s readiness to facilitate peace talks.
