President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and European Council President Charles Michel discussed the latest developments about the Russia-Ukraine war over the phone on Saturday. During the call, Erdoğan told Michel that Turkey will continue all its efforts to achieve peace between Ukraine and Russia.
According to a statement by the Communications Directorate, the call addressed "Russia's attack on Ukraine and the latest developments."
Erdoğan told Michel that Turkey will do its best to reestablish peace between the two warring states.
In a separate statement, the Communications Directorate said Erdoğan spoke to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda over the phone.
The leaders discussed the Russia-Ukraine war and regional developments, the statement said.
"Exchange with Erdoğan on Russian aggression in Ukraine and worsening security situation in Europe," Nauseda said on Twitter.
"Urged strengthening of defenses in eastern NATO flank, including Baltic region. Stressed that Russia's attacks on civil nuclear facilities in Ukraine must face international response," he added.
Erdoğan also held a phone talk with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, addressing regional developments, including the Russia-Ukraine war, and bilateral ties between Turkey and Serbia.
Russia's war on Ukraine has led to international outrage, with the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom and others implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow. The West is also supplying Kyiv with weapons and humanitarian aid.
At least 351 civilians have been killed and 707 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war on Feb. 24, according to United Nations figures.
More than 1.3 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, the latest data by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees showed.
Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın also said earlier that Erdoğan would speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday.
Erdoğan will urge his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a call Sunday to "end this war immediately" after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, Kalın said.
"The president will convey to him the message that we have repeated from the start: End this war immediately, give the cease-fire and negotiations a chance, establish a humanitarian corridor and carry out evacuations," Kalın told the private NTV broadcaster Saturday.
The Turkish leader will also seek talks "at the leaders' level" between Russia and Ukraine that could take place in Turkey, he added.
Later on Saturday, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu had discussed developments on Ukraine with his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts in separate calls.
Maintaining its neutral and balanced stance, Turkey continues its diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the Ukraine conflict, urging restraint for all sides. While Ankara has opposed international sanctions aiming to isolate Moscow, it also closed the Bosporus and Dardanelles under a 1936 pact, allowing it 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.
Ankara has said it wants to bring together Ukraine and Russia's foreign ministers for talks at a diplomacy forum next week in southern Turkey. Both Ukraine and Russia have voiced openness to such talks.
Erdoğan, who has often called Putin a friend, last spoke to him on Feb. 23, a day before Moscow launched what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine.