Ankara, as a NATO member and European Union candidate country, is an inseparable partner in the Ukraine peace process with its diplomatic capacity and defense industry, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said on Thursday.
Yılmaz was speaking after some 30 leaders met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Paris on Thursday to discuss how to strengthen Kyiv's position and assess how they could play a role if a peace deal is struck with Russia. Yılmaz told Anadolu Agency (AA) that he attended in the name of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
He said that the summit was not only focusing on Ukraine but also bore importance for Europe’s security and future.
Yılmaz indicated that Ankara supports the process launched by the U.S. but that “what is important, is a more permanent and comprehensive cease-fire instead of partial or temporary agreements.”
Saying that Türkiye advocates solving the Ukraine-Russia war through diplomacy, Yılmaz voiced hope for the cease-fire to last. He reiterated that Ankara previously played critical roles in the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the exchange of prisoners of war. “Our president has a good dialogue with both Mr. Zelenskyy and Mr. Putin.”
Ankara has consistently defended Ukraine's territorial integrity since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in 2022 and supplied Ukraine with combat drones and naval vessels. But it has also maintained good ties with Russia and remains the only NATO member not to have joined the sanctions against Moscow.
With its unique position between the two warring parties, Türkiye has repeatedly offered to host peace talks.
Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan have often received visitors such as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Yılmaz said the summit was fruitful and thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for his invitation and hosting the meeting.
“We put forth our perspective on how we see these conflicts and our solution formulas,” he said.
Yılmaz continued to say that a complete agreement has not been reached on all details between the attending countries and that “an emphasis has been made on the fact that Europe’s security must be achieved collectively.”
Türkiye, with NATO's second-largest army and a Black Sea coastline, is looking to play a key role in Europe's security after Washington's pivot away from the region. After rounds of crisis talks on Ukraine and security following Washington's change of policy, Ankara has been quick to warn that European defenses cannot be ensured without its involvement.
"It is inconceivable to establish European security without Türkiye," Erdoğan said earlier this month.
In recent years, Türkiye has considerably developed its defense industries, with exports growing by 29% to reach $7.1 billion (TL 269.88 billion) in 2024, placing it 11th in global defense exports, Erdoğan said in January.
Driving its success are the Bayraktar TB2 drones, which have been sold to more than 25 nations, among them Poland and Romania, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Military Balance survey.
