President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been conducting heavy diplomacy traffic aimed at a cease-fire in the Russia-Ukraine war, the safe evacuation of civilians from the region and the establishment of peace.
Continuing his determined diplomatic push in the international arena since the first days of the tension between Russia and Ukraine, Erdoğan on Thursday held a phone call with his United States counterpart Joe Biden, discussing several issues, including Russia's war on Ukraine.
During the phone meeting, the two leaders discussed bilateral ties as well as the Russia-Ukraine crisis, according to a statement by Turkey's Directorate of Communications.
It is important that Turkey is in a position to facilitate a solution in case the Russia-Ukraine crisis deepens further, Erdoğan told Biden.
Even organizing a tripartite meeting of foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia, and Ukraine in Antalya is a diplomatic victory by itself, he stressed.
The foreign ministers of Turkey, Ukraine, and Russia met early Thursday with the aim of establishing a lasting peace as the Russia-Ukraine war enters its third week.
The high-level tripartite meeting was held on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in southern Turkey and lasted for more than an hour.
Erdoğan said he expects that Ankara's demand, which includes the purchase of 40 new aircraft from the U.S. and modernization of Turkey's F-16 jets, will be finalized as soon as possible.
The time has already come to lift all unjust sanctions on Turkey in the defense industry, Erdoğan added.
In 2019, Washington announced that it was taking Turkey out of the F-35 program over Ankara's purchase of Russia's S-400 air defense system.
Turkey, however, stressed that the S-400s would not be integrated into NATO systems and pose no threat to the alliance or its armaments.
Ankara has also repeatedly proposed setting up a commission to clarify the issue.
The White House also issued a statement regarding the phone meeting.
"They reaffirmed their strong support for the government and people of Ukraine, underscored the need for an immediate cessation of Russian aggression and welcomed the coordinated international response to the crisis," the statement said.
Biden expressed "appreciation" for Turkey's "efforts to support a diplomatic resolution to the conflict," along with its "recent engagements with regional leaders that help promote peace and stability," it added.
The two leaders also discussed opportunities to strengthen the bilateral ties between the two nations.
Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial sanctions on Moscow and spurred an exodus of global companies from Russia.
At least 516 civilians have been killed and 908 others injured in Ukraine so far, according to U.N. figures, with the real toll feared to be higher.
More than 2.3 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, according to the U.N. refugee agency.
Erdoğan also met with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in the Turkish capital Ankara on Thursday and discussed bilateral ties, as well as the war between Russia and Ukraine.
During their meeting, the two leaders also expressed their views on the contribution of their countries' cooperation to the energy security of Europe.
The leaders also emphasized their determination to further enhance Turkey-Azerbaijan relations that developed on the basis of brotherhood and friendship in all fields.
Erdoğan's contacts will continue with a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who will visit Istanbul on Sunday, and German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz, who will pay an official visit to Ankara on Monday.
After Russia began its war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, Erdoğan chaired a security summit with a number of Cabinet ministers and key staffers at the Presidential Complex.
Then Erdoğan spoke over the phone with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with follow-ups on Feb. 26 and March 4. Erdoğan said they were pushing for a cease-fire to prevent further loss of life and further damage to Ukraine.
Erdoğan also spoke on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 6. During the call, Erdoğan told Putin that Turkey is ready to help solve the Ukraine issue by peaceful means as soon as possible.
He also underlined that an urgent general cease-fire would not only alleviate humanitarian concerns in the region but also open up space for a political solution.
On the Russia-Ukraine war, Erdoğan also conducted phone calls with a host of other world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Azerbaijani President Aliyev, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic, Moldovan President Maia Sandu, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel.
In addition, Erdoğan exchanged views on the war with Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani and Israeli President Isaac Herzog when they paid separate visits to the capital Ankara.
The president will attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in the Turkish resort city of the same name on Friday with a focus on ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
Maintaining its neutral and balanced stance, Turkey continues its diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the Ukraine conflict, urging all sides to exercise restraint. While Ankara has opposed international sanctions designed to isolate Moscow, it also implemented the Montreux Convention to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing the Turkish Straits.
NATO ally Turkey borders Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea and has good ties with both. 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. Having recently called Russia’s invasion an unacceptable violation of international law, Turkey has carefully formulated its rhetoric not to offend Moscow, with which it has close energy, defense and tourism ties.