Turkey is ready to host the leaders of Russia and Ukraine to "pave the way for re-establishing peace" as tensions between the two countries show little sign of diminishing, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said late Wednesday.
"We are ready to host presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin in Turkey for negotiations," Erdoğan said in a televised interview, reiterating that Ankara is ready to help any way it can to defuse tensions between Ukraine and Russia.
"Turkey wants tensions between Russia and Ukraine to be resolved before they turn into a new crisis," the president stated.
"I repeat that we are ready to do whatever is necessary and I conveyed these messages to President Putin and President Zelenskyy," Erdoğan said. "I think both countries are aware of the sincerity and good intent of Turkey,"
The crisis should be solved "avoiding the use of force," he added. "We hope the NATO initiative will be successful on this."
"I hope that Russia will not make an armed attack or occupy Ukraine. Such a step will not be a wise act for Russia or the region," he said. "There is a need for dialogue that will listen to Russia and eliminate their reasonable security concerns."
Erdoğan also announced that he had invited Putin to Turkey, but the date is yet to be set.
He meanwhile reiterated Turkey's "clear" commitment to Ukraine's territorial integrity.
"Turkey has reiterated many times its commitment to Ukraine's territorial integrity," he said.
Turkey has been closely following the developments and is in close contact with both Kyiv and Moscow. Erdoğan had said Turkey could mediate between the neighbors amid increasing tensions in the region and recently announced plans to visit Ukraine in February to help defuse tensions.
Ankara aims for peace to prevail and hopes no other adverse developments will take place in the region. Accordingly, Turkey has intensified its diplomatic efforts to establish a mediating role to de-escalate tensions between Russia and Ukraine as the international community fears a possible large-scale war. Turkey has advocated that sanctions on Russia are not a solution, though the EU threatened “massive” sanctions if there is an attack.
Russia will only welcome efforts if Turkish partners encourage Ukraine to implement the Minsk Protocol, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in an initial response.
On the other hand, Ukraine has welcomed Turkey’s involvement in negotiations with Russia. An escalation of the ensuing tensions between Ukraine and Russia would threaten not only Kyiv but the entire world, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar also warned recently in an exclusive interview with Daily Sabah.
Western countries fear Russia is planning a new offensive against Ukraine after it massed tens of thousands of troops near the border in recent months. Moscow denies planning an attack.
NATO member Turkey has friendly ties with both Kyiv and Moscow but opposes Russian policies in Syria and Libya, as well as its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
Kyiv has also bought Turkish drones to possibly use against Russian-backed forces in eastern Ukraine, angering Moscow, and agreed with Ankara to manufacture the drones locally this year.
Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine are open to the idea of Turkey playing a role in easing tensions between the two countries, as proposed by Ankara in November, Turkish diplomatic sources said last week.
Turkey is discussing the possibility of hosting the next meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) Minsk Group, during which Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region will be discussed.
With tens of thousands of Russian troops massed on the Ukrainian border, fears are mounting that a major conflict could break out in Europe.
Moscow insists it has no plans to invade Ukraine but has at the same time laid down a series of security demands – including a ban on Ukraine joining NATO – in exchange for de-escalation.
NATO allies have signaled their willingness to keep talking but Moscow has demanded a written response on its proposals for security guarantees.
On the Russian wish list are measures that would limit military activities in the former Warsaw Pact and ex-Soviet countries that joined NATO after the Cold War.
Ukraine has been fighting Moscow-backed forces in two breakaway eastern regions since 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine.
More than 13,000 people have been killed, and the latest Russian troop build-up has also greatly rattled their neighbors in the Baltics.
