Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has warned that the use of nuclear arms and weapons of mass destruction in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war cannot be ruled out, which he said has a greater-than-ever risk of spreading.
Fidan spoke on Wednesday at the Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit in Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Months into Russia's war in Ukraine, the United States had intelligence pointing to "highly sensitive, credible conversations inside the Kremlin" that President Vladimir Putin was seriously considering using nuclear weapons to avoid major battlefield losses, as journalist Bob Woodward reported in his new book, "War."
Putin and other Kremlin voices also have frequently threatened the West with Russia's nuclear arsenal. In a strong, new warning to the West late last month, Putin said any nation’s conventional attack on Russia that is supported by a nuclear power would be considered a joint attack on his country.
The threat was aimed at discouraging the West from allowing Ukraine to strike deep into Russia with longer-range weapons and appeared to significantly lower the threshold for the possible use of Russia’s nuclear arsenal. Biden has held off on allowing Ukraine to hit military targets deeper inside Russia with U.S.-provided missiles over fears of escalating the war, even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleads for permission.
In his speech, Fidan reiterated Ankara's support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence.
Fidan stressed that Türkiye has steadfastly continued its diplomatic efforts to end the war since the beginning, citing Ankara's role in hosting negotiations between the warring parties, facilitating the operation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and acting as a mediator in prisoner exchanges.
He observed that the conflict in Ukraine has exacerbated global polarization.
Regarding Russia's participation in the talks, Fidan underlined that a sustainable solution can only be achieved by involving all parties, including Russia, in the negotiations.
Fidan said ensuring food security, freedom of navigation, protecting nuclear energy facilities and safeguarding critical infrastructure can help mitigate the devastation caused by the war.
On Wednesday, the Ukrainian envoy to Ankara said that Kyiv aims to organize a peace summit by the end of this year and is open to Russia's participation at this time but has ruled out any direct bilateral talks with Moscow.
"We are not talking about a format here in which Ukraine and Russia sit across (from) each other and Ukraine listens to Russia's demands," Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar told a briefing in Ankara. "What we see now is this: The international community, along with Ukraine, will sit and create a list of what steps could be taken for a fair peace in Ukraine, and they will discuss what sort of demands to ask Russia based on that list."
The summit, which was first held in the Greek capital of Athens, in August 2023, and then in Tirana, Albania, in February 2024, brought together leaders from Ukraine and regional countries.
The one-day summit was attended by the presidents from Slovenia, Natasa Pirc Musar, Montenegro Jakov Milatovic, Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Vjosa Osmani, as well as the prime ministers of Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, North Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Romania and Moldova were also represented by their foreign ministers.
Meanwhile, Fidan met with his Croatian counterpart, Gordan Grlic-Radman, during his visit to Dubrovnik.
Türkiye has positioned itself as an intermediary in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Erdoğan was a key player in brokering the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Shortly after the conflict broke out in February 2022, Türkiye hosted a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers, and there were unsuccessful talks between negotiators from the two countries to end the hostilities.
Türkiye was instrumental in implementing a now-on-hold deal that allowed for the safe passage of Ukrainian grain shipments via the Black Sea despite the blockade of its ports. The accord, brokered by Ankara and the United Nations in July 2022, ended after Moscow refused to renew it. Ankara has ramped up efforts to try to revive the initiative.