Turkey stands with Ukraine in its war with Russia and will defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalın said on Friday.
Ankara will not accept the results of Russia’s referendums to annex occupied regions of Ukraine, Kalın told Turkish network NTV.
NATO member Turkey maintains good relations with both Russia and Ukraine and has been engaged in a balancing act since conflict erupted between the countries in February. Ankara has refused to apply sanctions against Moscow unlike Western nations while acting as an intermediary between the two countries and was involved in the recent deal to unlock grain exports from Ukraine.
“Turkey is the only country that makes an effort to end the war,” Kalın told NTV.
“When the war first began, our prediction was that it would be long-lasting. And the picture at the moment shows that the war will drag on,’’ he added.
Kalın’s remarks follow a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his economy team in Istanbul to address the ailing Turkish economy, including ties with Russia.
The Erdoğan aide said that state lenders were reviewing the use of the Russian Mir payment system, following a warning by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control to financial institutions last week against entering new agreements or expanding existing ones with the Russian operator of Mir cards.
Turkey is among eight countries, most of which are Russia-friendly, that accept Mir cards.
Earlier this week, two of Turkey’s largest banks, Isbank and Denizbank AŞ, suspended their acceptance of the Mir system, Bloomberg reported.
Following an Aug. 5 meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Erdoğan said that the Mir system facilitated tourism between the two countries.
Ahval