President Tayyip Erdogan discussed tensions between Ukraine and Russia with his counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Thursday, after pitching Turkey as a mediator, and an official said he was not picking any sides in the crisis.
In a move likely to grate with Moscow, Zelenskiy also trumpeted a deal enabling Ukrainian factories to produce Turkish drones that have already been deployed in Ukraine’s war against Russia-backed rebels in its eastern Donbass region.
“I would like to thank President Erdogan for his initiative to become a mediator between Ukraine and Russia on the way to ending the war,”
Zelenskiy said. The two presidents gave no details of their talks on Russia and took no questions.
Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov told Reuters the drones deal created “favourable conditions for Turkish manufacturers to build a drone factory in Ukraine so that we can produce the entire line of drones and get their high technologies”.
Russia has accused Kyiv of “destructive” behaviour after its forces last October used a Bayraktar TB2 drone to strike a position controlled by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine
Erdogan’s visit to Turkey’s fellow Black Sea nation comes after visits to Kyiv by leaders of NATO members Britain, Poland, and the Netherlands amid the standoff. Turkey has good ties with Kyiv and Moscow but has said it would do what is necessary as a NATO member if Russia invades.
Russia has denied plans to invade Ukraine amid concern by many Western nations over its build up of more than 100,000 troops near the border, but has demanded sweeping security guarantees from the West and says it could take unspecified military measures if its demands are not met.
Ankara has previously offered to help defuse the standoff and Turkish diplomatic sources have said both Russia and Ukraine were open to the idea. Turkey has opposed the sanctions threatened by other NATO members in response to a military incursion by Russia.
Speaking to reporters before leaving for Ukraine, Erdogan said Turkey was calling on both sides to seek dialogue, adding the crisis must be resolved peacefully on the basis of international law.
“Today, we will have our meeting with Mr Zelenskiy. After a visit to China, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has told us he would travel to Turkey,” he said. “Without holding these two visits, these talks, it would not be right to think about what we can do.”
“God willing we will successfully overcome this problematic period between these two countries,”
Erdogan said, adding that statements from both Ukraine and Russia had so far played down the prospect of a direct military conflict.
Source: Reuters