Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called for a cease-fire during a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday.
According to the statement by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications, Russia's military intervention in Ukraine and the latest developments were discussed during the meeting.
President Erdoğan expressed his condolences to the citizens of Ukraine who lost their lives in the Russian attack and wished a speedy recovery for the injured civilians.
He also stated that Turkey is making efforts for a cease-fire to be declared as soon as possible to prevent further loss of life and damage.
Zelenskyy thanked Turkey for its strong support. "The ban on the passage of warships to the Black Sea and significant military and humanitarian support (given to Ukraine) are extremely important today. The people of Ukraine will never forget that!" he added.
Turkey later said it has not approved the closure of the Turkish straits to Russian warships.
Zelenskyy later confirmed that Erdoğan and, additionally, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev will help start negotiations with Russia.
Earlier this week, Erdoğan had held another phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Zelenskyy.
The two leaders touched upon Russia's recognition of the separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.
Earlier on Tuesday, Erdoğan said Russia's decision to recognize the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk Republics is "unacceptable" and violates Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
