"Turkey reaffirms its commitment to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of its strategic partner Ukraine," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement late Wednesday as Russia's invasion of its neighbor continues.

"Crimea was annexed by Russia with an illegitimate referendum," the ministry also added in the statement that focused on the illegal land grab.

"We will continue following the situation in Crimea, with a focus on Crimean Tatar Turks," it added.

Military tensions between Ukraine and Russia have been high since Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

Turkey, along with the rest of NATO, criticized Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea and voiced support for Ukraine's territorial integrity as Kyiv's forces battle pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

As part of Ukraine's strategy to clear Crimea of Russian forces, the Crimean Platform was established in October 2020, and Turkey was among the first countries to voice its support for the Crimean Platform to be held on Aug. 23.

Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy late Wednesday.

Erdoğan pointed out that "war does not benefit anyone," and Turkey will continue efforts to establish a dialogue between both sides while stressing the importance of humanitarian corridors.

The president also told Zelenskyy that Turkey continues to exert diplomacy to restore peace between Russia and Ukraine and aims to achieve a permanent cease-fire as soon as possible.

"Pointing out that Turkey continued with its delivery of humanitarian aid to the Ukrainians both in Ukraine and neighboring countries, Erdoğan emphasized the importance of the effective functioning of humanitarian corridors," a statement by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications read.

"Held talks with a friend of Ukraine, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan," Zelenskyy also said on Twitter, "Reported on the progress of the Ukrainian people's struggle against the ongoing aggression. Thankful for the important support. Ways to intensify peaceful dialogue were also discussed. #StopRussia."

Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial sanctions on Moscow and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.

At least 726 civilians have been killed and 1,174 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the brutal invasion.

According to the United Nations, more than 3 million refugees have fled to neighboring countries.

The issue was also on top of the agenda of Polish President Andrzej Duda, who visited Turkey on Wednesday and held a joint press conference with Erdoğan.

The two presidents hailed bilateral ties as Duda expressed gratitude to Erdoğan for "sharing all the knowledge" on hosting migrants.

"Turkey is a very important state in the region. It has been making a lot of contributions and it plays a great role for peace," said the Polish president after the two leaders' meeting.

The most "important topic" in their discussions was the Russia-Ukraine war, said Duda, extending "gratitude" to Erdoğan and saying: "I know how hard he tries to ensure that peace prevails."

He also called on international organizations to join efforts to establish peace in Ukraine.

For his part, Erdoğan said: "As two NATO allies, we have exchanged views (on the Ukraine matter)."

"As the country hosting the largest number of refugees in the world for eight years, Turkey best understands the challenges faced by Poland. On this occasion, I would like to thank the Polish authorities once again for the convenience provided in the evacuation and border crossing of our citizens in Ukraine. Their support in delivering our humanitarian aid to Ukraine is admirable."

Since the start of the war, Turkey has engaged in evacuation efforts and has evacuated 15,196 of its citizens from Ukraine, with the latest group of 159 citizens arriving on Wednesday. Alongside its citizens, Turkey has also facilitated the evacuation of personnel of organizations such as the U.N. or the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) as well as foreign citizens, including Greeks, Azerbaijanis and Crimean Tatars.

NATO summit

Erdoğan also said he would continue his contacts on the ongoing war at the upcoming NATO leaders summit in Brussels on March 24.

"As Turkey, we continue our efforts to achieve a cease-fire. Indeed, my minister of foreign affairs (Mevlüt Cavuşoğlu) is holding talks in Moscow today. He will go to Ukraine tomorrow."

As a result of Turkey’s intense diplomatic efforts, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met for the first time since Russia started its invasion of Ukraine ahead of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in the Mediterranean resort on March 10. After talks with Lavrov in Antalya, Kuleba said there had been "no progress," even on a 24-hour cease-fire, although the Russian foreign minister said Moscow would remain open to dialogue.

Ankara said arranging the meeting between the two officials was in itself a diplomatic victory.

NATO member Turkey, which shares a maritime border with Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea, has good relations with both countries.

It has called Russia’s invasion unacceptable and has ramped up efforts to undertake a facilitator role to find a solution to the conflict.

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 closed its straits to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing them.

Under the 1936 Montreux Convention, NATO member Turkey controls the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits, linking the Mediterranean and Black seas. The pact gives Ankara the power to regulate the transit of naval warships and close the straits to foreign warships during wartime and when it is threatened.

Turkey in late February called Russia’s invasion a "war," allowing it to invoke articles under the pact that could limit the passage of some Russian vessels from its straits.

Çavuşoğlu and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also discussed the latest developments in Ukraine over the phone on Wednesday. U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement that Blinken and Çavuşoğlu discussed "the Kremlin's war against Ukraine and ongoing diplomatic efforts to stop President Putin's war of choice."

He also said Blinken "provided an update on U.S. support to the people of Ukraine and efforts to hold Putin accountable for his unprovoked and brutal war."

The U.S. top diplomat also thanked Turkey for "its commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its efforts to assist Ukraine in its time of need."

Cease-fire necessary

Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop on Wednesday emphasized in a call with Duma head Vyacheslav Volodin that Turkey is ready to end this dispute between two neighbors.

Şentop underlined that a humanitarian cease-fire is necessary and should be followed by a permanent one.

Stating that Ankara found the attack on Ukraine unacceptable, Şentop pointed out that Turkey had been working toward a peaceful solution even before this process began, "We believe that this war will not have a winner, there will be no winners. On the contrary, the people will suffer greatly."

Emphasizing that many people, including children, have already lost their lives, and millions of people have had to leave their homes, Şentop said, "Imposing sanctions on Russia will have negative consequences. At this point, first of all, a humanitarian cease-fire and then a comprehensive cease-fire must be achieved."

The speaker once again highlighted that the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia coming together in Antalya was an essential diplomatic step and said that Turkey also supports the talks in Belarus.

"I would like to reiterate that as Turkey, we are ready to support and mediate as much as we can."

For his part, Volodin hailed Turkey’s efforts and said that Russia is open to dialogue.