Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and his United States counterpart Antony Blinken on Monday held a phone call and discussed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine tensions and the establishment of a joint strategic mechanism between the two countries.
According to a statement released by Ankara, while bilateral relations between the two NATO allies dominated the agenda of the call, other issues discussed included the developments in Sudan, Ethiopia and Caucasus.
The phone talk came as the U.S. and Russia are set to hold talks regarding the tensions near the Ukrainian border next week.
The talks are followed by a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council on Jan. 12 and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Jan. 13.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department said that Blinken and Çavuşoğlu discussed the escalation near the Ukrainian border.
"Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu discussed the importance of continued coordination regarding the threat of Russian escalation in Ukraine," State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.
Price said they also discussed issues related to the Horn of Africa, Turkiye's appointment of special Envoy Serdar Kılıç to discuss the process of normalization with Armenia, and opportunities to deepen cooperation bilaterally and as NATO Allies to address areas of mutual concern.
Kyiv has been battling a pro-Moscow insurgency in two eastern regions bordering Russia since 2014, shortly after the Kremlin annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. The U.S. and its allies have for weeks warned that Russia may be planning an invasion of Ukraine. Russia denies planning to invade Ukraine, but satellite pictures showing as many as 100,000 troops gathered on the border have set Western nations on edge.
Ukraine, which wants to join the NATO military alliance, has blamed Moscow for supporting separatists in the conflict in its east since 2014. Russia sees itself as threatened by a NATO advance and wants to prevent the neighboring former Soviet republics Ukraine and Georgia from joining the alliance. Fighting between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists in Donbass has killed more than 13,000 people since 2014, according to the United Nations. The region is one of the several sources of friction between Russia and Ukraine.
While President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in October proposed Turkey's mediator role for the crisis, he later elaborated by pointing out that with the consent of both parties, Turkey can offer facilitation, mediation or support in any format. Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also said that Turkey has been in contact with both Russia and Ukraine, noting that Ankara advised both sides to remain calm and de-escalate the situation.
In an initial response, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed Ankara's offer while speaking to journalists in Moscow, saying: "The fact is Russia is not a party to the conflict in Donbass. It will be impossible to find solutions to the problem at such a summit." On the other hand, Ukraine welcomed Ankara's statements. "We will welcome any efforts that can help us to put an end to this war, to return Ukraine's territories that are currently under Russian control," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told a news briefing.
"If Russia has any certain specific expectation or issue from Turkey regarding reducing tensions between Russia and NATO, Turkey will evaluate this positively because our objective is clear," said Ankara.
NATO member Turkey has good ties with Moscow, though it opposes Russian policies in Syria and Libya. It has forged energy and defense cooperation with Russia while opposing Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
On the other hand, NATO allies Ankara and Washington have been at odds over a host of issues, from Turkey's purchase of Russian S-400 missile defense systems – a move that drew U.S. sanctions last year – to regional policy differences, human rights, legal matters and the U.S. support to the PKK terrorist group's Syrian branch, the YPG.
Most recently, Turkey sent a letter to the U.S. about the establishment of a joint mechanism on the issues that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Joe Biden had previously agreed on, Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın said Thursday.
"We would like to maintain equal, fair and transparent relations based on mutual interest and respect in a comprehensive manner," Kalın said, adding that while doing so, Turkey would prioritize its own national interests and priorities.
Kalın also noted that it was still possible to turn a new page in relations if the U.S. takes steps to recognize Turkey’s national security interests and relations may proceed in a much more productive manner. However, he added that it would not be possible to move forward if fundamental issues are not addressed.