President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the Russia-Ukraine War in a phone call, as Erdoğan reiterated Türkiye's readiness to contribute to permanent peace between the two warring countries, the Presidency's Directorate of Communication said Friday.
Erdoğan noted that Ankara is ready to provide diplomatic support and undertake the role of mediator to ensure permanent peace between Russia and Ukraine, the statement said.
He also extended condolences to Ukraine over the recent helicopter crash on Wednesday, in which 14 people, including the country's interior minister, several other top officials and three children were killed.
NATO member Türkiye has close ties with both nations and has sought to balance relations through the war. Earlier, it hosted the first high-level talks between the countries in the conflict. It has since been actively working to ensure a permanent cease-fire between the warring sides, as well as leading a delicately balanced mediator role by keeping communication channels with both sides open, calling for diplomatic efforts and stressing that the war can only “end at the negotiation table.”
It has been aiming to help establish a humanitarian corridor for a long while too and last week’s tripartite summit between Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian ombudsmen was a step in realizing President Erdoğan’s previous suggestion to establish a humanitarian corridor in the conflict zone.
The Black Sea grain deal was vital in reopening specific Ukrainian ports for releasing grain that had been stuck for months and effectively fending off worsening a global food crisis.
Last week, Ankara warned that Russia and Ukraine were moving away from a diplomatic solution, making the outcomes of a prolonged war even more complicated. On Monday, Erdoğan personally reiterated in a phone call to Russian President Vladimir Putin his offer that Türkiye is “ready to undertake the role of a mediator” for a permanent peace between the two countries.
