Turkey has sent 67 truckloads of humanitarian assistance and a mobile kitchen truck to Ukraine to help struggling citizens since the beginning of the war, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said Wednesday.
According to a statement made by the AFAD, Turkey continues to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine, coordinated by the AFAD, relevant institutions and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
The AFAD sent 21 trucks and a mobile kitchen truck to Ukraine, while the Health Ministry, municipalities, the Turkish Red Crescent (Türk Kızılay), and private and NGOs have sent 46 truckloads of aid since Feb. 27.
The mobile kitchen truck provided fresh food to Ukrainians fleeing the country on the Romanian border between March 12-18, and it started providing food to Ukrainians in Lviv on March 20.
A four-member AFAD humanitarian aid team works in Siret and Lviv to determine humanitarian needs, operate humanitarian activities and manage aid sent from Turkey.
Maintaining its neutral and balanced stance, Turkey continues its diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the Ukraine conflict, urging all sides for restraint. Though Ankara has opposed international sanctions aiming to isolate Moscow, it closed the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits under a 1936 pact, allowing it to curb some Russian vessels from passing through the Turkish Straits.
NATO ally Turkey borders Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea and has good ties with both. Since the beginning of the conflict, Ankara has offered to mediate between the two sides and offered to host peace talks, also underlining its support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
