Erdoğan urges Putin to take ‘immediate steps’ for peace in Ukraine

ANKARA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on March 6 urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to take “immediate steps” to sign an armistice in Ukraine, open humanitarian corridors in surrounded cities and reach a peace deal.

“Let’s altogether open the path for peace,” Erdoğan told Putin during a phone conversation on March 6, according to a statement released by the presidential office.

He told his Russian counterpart that Turkey is ready to make all the necessary contributions for the resolution of the problems through peaceful means, the statement noted. An immediate ceasefire through the Ukrainian territories would resolve humanitarian concerns and pave the way for the efforts for a political solution to the problem, the president said, according to the statement.

Issuing a ceasefire, opening humanitarian corridors and signing a peace agreement between the two countries require immediate steps, Erdoğan urged, recalling that Turkey is in contact with the Ukrainian side as well.

A statement issued by Kremlin said Russia was ready for dialogue with Ukraine and other countries supporting Ukraine but on the condition that Russia’s demands are met. It repeated that Russia will end its operation once its demands are responded to.

FM talks with Ukraine, Russia

The Erdoğan-Putin talk came as Ankara stepped up its efforts for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, starting peace talks. Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu spoke on the phone with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on late March 5 and repeated Turkey’s proposal of hosting them at next weekend’s Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

Çavuşoğlu had already announced that Lavrov confirmed that he would attend the forum slated to take place on March 11-13.

“We are following the developments in Ukraine with great concern,” Çavuşoğlu said at a press conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ceyhun Bayramov, in Baku on March 5. “We want this unjust and unlawful attack to end as soon as possible. We continue to increase our efforts in this regard,” he said, recalling Turkey and Azerbaijan’s special relationship with both Russia and Ukraine.

In the meantime, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar also expressed Ankara’s wish for peace and resolution of the problems through peaceful means and diplomacy. “The humanitarian crisis and human losses are unacceptable. We have relations with both Russia and Ukraine,” he said.

Turkey is hoping for a general ceasefire so that it can complete the evacuation of its people from Ukraine in the safest way, the minister said.