Turkish officials have been busy conducting head-spinning diplomacy to end the Russia-Ukraine war and enhancing bilateral relations with neighbors in recent weeks, with top diplomats and leaders like Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visiting the country for talks. Polish President Andrzej Duda became the latest leader to visit Turkey yesterday to discuss a number of issues, including bilateral relations and the war, a day after he visited Kyiv with his Slovenian and Czech counterparts.

Turkey has emerged as one of the key countries playing a mediating role to reach a cease-fire in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as it has favorable ties with both countries and prioritizes peace and stability in the Black Sea and neighboring regions.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy three times, on Feb. 24, Feb. 26 and March 4. He also spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on March 6, highlighting the need for an urgent general cease-fire to eliminate humanitarian concerns in the region and seek a political solution to the conflict. In the phone call, Erdoğan conveyed a message to Putin: "Let us all pave way for peace."

Besides Zelenskyy and Putin, Erdoğan spoke with over 20 world leaders and heads of global organizations, including U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Moldovan President Maia Sandu as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel.

Meanwhile, Turkey also hosted the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, where Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu brought together his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts for the first time since the start of the war. The groundbreaking meeting touched upon steps to be taken to end the war, and was hailed by both sides.

Erdoğan held 11 face-to-face talks with leaders, including NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Turkey’s efforts were welcomed by many countries and global organizations, including the U.N. For instance, the U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres thanked President Erdoğan for Turkey's efforts regarding the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

In the past eight days, four leaders visited Turkey, including Israeli President Herzog, Azerbaijani President Aliyev, Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The common goal of Turkey and Israel is to revive bilateral political dialogue based on common interests, Erdoğan said following the meeting with his Israeli counterpart. Herzog become the first leader from Israel to visit in 14 years as the two countries move to turn a new page in their troubled relationship.

The countries withdrew their respective ambassadors in 2010 after Israeli forces stormed a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians that broke an Israeli blockade. The incident resulted in the deaths of nine Turkish activists.

Relations broke down again in 2018 when Turkey, angered by the United States moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, once more recalled its ambassador, prompting Israel to respond in kind. The two countries have not reappointed their ambassadors.

His meeting with Mitsotakis also focused on the regional benefits of enhancing bilateral cooperation, with an emphasis on the positive developments between the two countries.

Neighbors Turkey and Greece have been at odds over a number of issues, including competing claims over jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean, air space, energy, the ethnically split island of Cyprus and the status of the islands in the Aegean Sea. But in their recent meeting, the leaders of both countries agreed to address the problems and continue to keep dialogue channels open to enhance relations.

In his meeting with Scholz, the leaders pledged to continue diplomatic efforts and jointly called for a cease-fire as soon as possible between Russia and Ukraine while emphasizing the importance of their bilateral ties and their NATO partnership.

Duda latest leader to visit Turkey

Polish President Andrzej Duda is the fifth leader to visit the country in the past few days. Duda’s visit to Turkey came a day after he visited the besieged Ukrainian capital Kyiv with his Czech and Slovenian counterparts on Tuesday.

Erdoğan and Duda are expected to touch upon the latest developments in the region.

Poland's purchase of Turkish armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) earlier in 2021 marked the first time a NATO or European Union member state acquired drones from Turkey.

During his previous visit, Duda described Turkey as Warsaw's "strongest ally" in its region, saying he believes that the two countries can fend off outside threats from within NATO's framework.

Turkey's relations with Armenia also recently entered a new phase after both countries appointed special representatives, who held their first meeting on Jan. 14 in Moscow. Last week, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan attended the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF), a move welcomed by Ankara.

Meanwhile, Çavuşoğlu traveled to Moscow and will travel to Ukraine on Thursday, while Defense Minister Hulusi Akar is expected to hold talks in Belgium as part of a NATO meeting on Wednesday. He is also expected to hold bilateral talks with some of his counterparts.

Later in March, Erdoğan is expected to attend an extraordinary NATO leaders’ summit in Brussels to discuss 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 closed its straits to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing.

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.

Turkey's relations with its neighbors and the recent upsurge in diplomatic efforts to boost relations has been acknowledged by many actors, including Borrell, who noted that the country is a geopolitical player in the region and its sphere of influence is increasing.