President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a regional summit in Kazakhstan on Thursday.
Erdoğan defended Ankara's booming trade ties with Moscow, during his fourth meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in three months.
"While Türkiye and Russia's steps will disturb certain circles, they will make less developed countries happy," Erdoğan said, referring to a deal he helped broker paving the way for Ukrainian grain deliveries across the Black Sea.
Turkish mediation proved vital in facilitating the signing of a deal between Türkiye, the United Nations, Russia, and Ukraine in Istanbul to reopen certain Ukrainian ports to release grain that had been stuck for months because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war – a development that has been crucial in responding to a growing global food crisis.
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 having friendly relations with both Russia and Ukraine, Türkiye has won widespread praise for its push to end the war.
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. While Ankara has opposed international sanctions designed to isolate Moscow, it also closed its straits to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing through them.
