Ukraine wants Turkey to continue its mediator role in the ongoing war between Moscow and Kyiv, the deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office said Wednesday.
Mykhailo Podolyak told Anadolu Agency (AA) that Turkey has taken important steps to end the war in Ukraine and achieve a cease-fire while expressing the country's gratitude to Turkey.
Emphasizing that Turkey has an important role as a mediator, Podolyak said, "I can say that the Republic of Turkey has become a very active mediator. Turkey has really taken an important responsibility. Russia generally does not comply with international standards and principles, it always tries to violate international principles."
Podolyak pointed out that with the help of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, the round of negotiations that took place in Istanbul was the most productive to date.
"With Turkey's efforts, we were able to reach a positive agreement in Istanbul, but subsequent developments have shown that the Russian Federation is a tough opponent at the negotiating table. We want Turkey to continue to be a mediator because Turkey seems very, very effective in mediation. Of course, the Istanbul process is the most effective of all in the negotiation process."
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.
Pledging continued Turkish efforts for peace in Ukraine, President Erdoğan on Monday underlined the need for a cease-fire that will pave the way for lasting peace to end the eight-week-old war.
Erdoğan has reiterated his offer to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks to secure peace between the two countries on several occasions. Erdoğan voiced hope that a possible summit between the two leaders in Istanbul could bring an end to the war.
Podolyak pointed out that Turkey has offered to assist in the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol, including sending ships through the Sea of Azov.
"We see that ending the war is extremely important for Turkey because this war is a big risk for the Black Sea region. This is a big risk, both in the commercial and military fields. Therefore, in my opinion, Turkey is a country with a great potential as a mediator today."
The United Nations believes thousands of people have died in Mariupol after more than a month under Russian siege and relentless bombardment.
Podolyak noted that the negotiation process has been very challenging recently and added: "Generally, the negotiation process is very heavy because there is an active war going on."
He said that when the Russian soldiers withdrew from the Kyiv region, the horrible images of civilians that emerged affected the negotiations.
Podolyak stated that for the war to end, the Ukrainian and Russian heads of state will likely need to come together for a meeting.
Though unable to comment on what was discussed with Russia at the negotiation table, Podolyak emphasized that violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty will not be accepted.