Kremlin praises Ankara for Ukraine mediation

MOSCOW

The Kremlin said on Oct. 24 that France and Germany were showing “no desire” to participate in mediation on the Ukrainian conflict and praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s offer to organize talks.

“Ankara takes a different position from that of Paris and Berlin... and has declared its readiness to continue mediation efforts,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“[French President Emmanuel] Macron and [German Chancellor Olaf] Scholz… they have shown no desire listen to Russia’s position or participate in mediation efforts,” he added. Over the weekend Russia’s defense minister Sergei Shoigu called his American, French, Turkish and British counterparts.

Shoigu conveyed “concerns about possible provocations by Ukraine with the use of a ‘dirty bomb’,” according to the Russian side. Shortly after, Washington, London and Paris issued a joint statement “rejecting Russia’s transparently false accusations about Ukraine.”

Meanwhile, Erdoğan has aimed to retain open dialogue with Russia and Western countries in Russia’s military offensive and emerged as a key mediator. He has played a role in the only two tangible agreements between Moscow and Kiev since the beginning of the offensive.

Türkiye helped broker the deal that allowed grain exports to resume under the U.N.’s aegis in July.

Erdoğan also played a role in a prisoner swap in September, one of the largest exchanges.

He met his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Kazakhistan’s capital Asatana on Oct. 11 and discussed “establishing a base in Thrace region” to supply Russian gas to Europe.

Erdoğan lately talked with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenksy on phone last week.
Meanwhile, Türkiye’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar spoke over the phone in line with diplomatic efforts with his colleagues from Russia and Ukraine as well as the United Kingdom amid rising violence in the war and concerns about the use of unconventional weapons.

Akar had his first phone conversation with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu late on Oct. 23, the Defense Ministry said in a statement, which informed that the two colleagues have discussed bilateral and regional defense and security matters.

They also discussed ways to avoid provocations that would further endanger the security situation in the region and agreed to stay in communication and cooperation against any sort of such initiatives in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war, it added.