The Turkish president said tensions between Kiev and Moscow over the Donbass conflict should be resolved through dialogue.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for an end to “worrying” developments in the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine after meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart in Istanbul, adding that Turkey was ready to provide all the necessary. support needed.
Erdogan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hold talks in Istanbul on Saturday in the midst of tensions between Kiev and Moscow on the long-standing conflict in the Donbass.
Speaking at a press conference alongside Zelenskyy, Erdogan said he hoped the conflict would be resolved peacefully, through dialogue based on diplomatic customs, in accordance with international law and the territorial integrity of the ‘Ukraine.
“Our main goal is that the Black Sea continues to be a sea of peace, tranquility and cooperation,” Erdogan said.
Zelenskyy said the views of Kiev and Ankara coincide regarding the threats in the region and as well as the responses to those threats.
Erdogan stressed that Turkey’s cooperation with Ukraine in the defense industry, which was the main item on the meeting’s agenda, was not a gesture against any third country.
Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, who reports from Istanbul, said Ukraine was buying Turkish military drones.
She also said that “the new generation drones will be equipped with Ukrainian engines”.
Regional tensions
Zelenskyy’s visit to Turkey comes amid renewed tensions in eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists have been fighting since 2014.
During a visit to troops there this week, Zelenskyy said violations of a July truce were on the rise.
Separatist authorities have also accused Ukrainian forces of violating the ceasefire.
Russia has reinforced his troops along the border and warned Ukraine against any attempt to regain control of the territory controlled by the separatists.
Kiev rejects the fact that it is preparing for an offensive. The strengthening of the Russian military has raised concerns in the United States and Europe.
The Turkish and Russian presidents spoke by telephone on Friday. Ukraine was among the issues discussed.
The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin has expressed concern that Ukraine “has recently resumed dangerous provocations on the line of contact.”
Turkey is a member of NATO. But Erdogan and Putin forged a close personal relationship, sealing energy and trade deals.
They also negotiated for parties opposed to the conflicts, including Syria, Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh.
Erdogan’s office also said he would discuss with Zelenskyy the living conditions of the Crimean Tatars, who have ethnic ties to the Turks. Moscow annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
