Turkey has proved in this difficult time that it is a real friend of Ukraine, the capital Kyiv's mayor said.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) in an interview published Friday, Vitali Klitschko said that he is grateful to Turkey for the support given to his country amid the Russian invasion.
"We can see who is Ukraine's true friend in these difficult times," he said.
Despite the fact that the Ukrainian army regained control of the Kyiv region in the beginning of April, intense security measures continue in the capital and surrounding regions.
He pointed out that Ukraine has been going through difficult times because of Russia's attack and that international aid was extremely important for his country in this period.
"We would like to thank all countries, whether European countries or neighboring countries, who have taken a positive approach towards Ukraine, for supporting peace," he said.
Underlining the fact that Ukraine and its people support peace and did not attack anyone, Klitschko said: "Ukraine has always been a peace-supporting country. The Ukrainian people did not act aggressively towards anyone, but military tensions continue today. While the air attacks against our cities and civilians continue, we are left with no other choice but to defend our country."
Emphasizing that his country aims to maintain peace, Klichko thanked everyone who supported the restoration of peace in Ukraine.
Ukraine needs humanitarian, medical, military and political aid, he said, adding: "We defend not only our own families, our homes, our country, but the principles that all democratic countries support. Maintaining stability in the region depends on its sustainable political and economic situation in Ukraine."
Expressing that he especially wanted to thank Turkey among the countries that supported his country, Klitschko said, "We are very grateful to Turkey for its support in the political and military fields, this is very important. We can see who is the true friend of Ukraine in these difficult times."
Turkey 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, Turkey 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.
In a breakthrough, Russian and Ukrainian delegations met for peace talks in Istanbul on March 29 as the war entered its second month with casualties piling up on both sides.
During the talks, Ukrainian officials signaled readiness to negotiate a "neutral status," a key Russian demand, but demanded security guarantees for their country. Ukraine wants to see countries, including Turkey, as guarantors in a deal with Russia, a Ukrainian negotiator said after the talks. Russia, meanwhile, pledged to significantly decrease its military activities focusing on the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Chernihiv to build trust for future negotiations.
Turkey also hosted the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine in Antalya last month. Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov of Russia and Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine met in the Turkish resort town of Antalya for talks, which Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also attended. The talks were largely inconclusive, but Ankara views the fact that the talks took place at all as a success. Ankara has offered to host future peace talks.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has many times reiterated his offer to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks to secure peace between the two countries. Erdoğan voiced hope that a possible summit between the two leaders in Istanbul could bring an end to the war.
Situation in Kyiv
Klitschko drew attention to the continuing danger of Russian attacks in the Kyiv region.
"Although there has been no attack on Kyiv in recent weeks, the danger remains. Russia has quite a lot of missiles, and the possibility of missile attacks and bombardments against the capital, Kyiv, was not completely excluded, as the Russian soldiers said yesterday."
Noting that serious clashes continue in the east of the country and Russian attacks continue in the cities there, the mayor said, "The situation in Kyiv is somewhat calm, but this does not mean that war activities will not be repeated at any moment."
Advising the residents of Kyiv not to rush to return to the capital, he said: "I would like to call out to those who returned (to Kyiv) by their own means; you took a risk by returning. We cannot provide you with 100% security for now due to the military attacks of Russia. I would advise you not to rush to return."