Turkey on Tuesday called for a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war, days ahead of a likely meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Haber Türk news outlet reported.
NATO member Turkey shares a maritime border with both Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea and maintains good ties with both countries. Ankara has stepped up to mediate the conflict, over which strongly criticized Moscow’s unprovoked invasion, but stopped short of implementing sanctions like those imposed by most members of the alliance.
“Unfortunately (both sides) have quickly moved away from diplomacy” since the talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Istanbul in March, Haber Türk cited Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu as saying in a televised interview.
“As the Ukraine-Russian war drags on, unfortunately, the situation gets worse and more complicated,” the top Turkish diplomat said. “A ceasefire must be established as soon as possible. The sooner the better,” he said.
Çavuşoğlu’s remarks arrive ahead of a likely meeting between the Russian and Turkish leaders in Astana on Thursday, AFP reported, citing a Turkish official speaking on condition of anonymity.
The two leaders are set to travel this week to Kazakhstan, where they may hold a meeting on the sidelines of the main events, Turkish state-run TRT network cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as telling reporters on Monday at a press briefing in Moscow.
Çavuşoğlu on Tuesday called for a “just peace” based on Ukraine’s territorial integrity, AFP reported.
“There must be a just peace for Ukraine. Where is the war going on? It’s going on Ukrainian soil,” he said.
“A process that will ensure Ukraine’s border and territorial integrity should start. Without a ceasefire, it is not possible to talk about those issues in a healthy way: a viable ceasefire and a just peace,” the Turkish foreign minister added.
Erdoğan in September urged Putin to reduce tensions as he called on Moscow to take steps to reduce tensions with Ukraine and give peace negotiations another chance.
Ahval