Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that he does not recognise Russia’s move to recognise the independence of Ukraine’s breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, before offering to mediate the crisis.
Calling Russia’s move a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Erdoğan stressed the importance of “reaching a solution on the basis of the Minsk agreements,” which seeks to end the war in Ukraine’s Donbas region between Ukrainian forces and Russian backed separatists. Erdoğan made the remarks following Putin’s declaration that the Minsk agreements “no longer existed” in the wake of Russia’s recognition of the so-called people’s republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.
President @RTErdogan spoke by phone with President Vladimir Putin of Russia.
— Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye (@trpresidency) February 23, 2022
President Erdoğan stated that Türkiye stood ready to do its part for the de-escalation of tension and the preservation of peace. pic.twitter.com/a3YPBgPdUM
Erdoğan underscored that the conflict could “get more complicated” if both sides do not work to calm tensions and that a military confrontation “would benefit no one.” In this regard, he said that he attaches importance “to the continuation of diplomatic talks” and emphasised that Turkey is willing “to do its part for the de-escalation of tensions and the preservation of peace.”
Also Read: What Does Turkey Stand to Gain by Backing Ukraine Over Russia?
He added that the situation could only be resolved through dialogue and hence “diplomacy should be prioritised.” Accordingly, he said that he would “welcome” Putin to Turkey for diplomatic talks on the ongoing crisis.
The Kremlin released a statement saying that Putin’s decision was based on “the Ukrainian authorities’ aggression in Donbas and their categorical refusal to implement the Minsk Agreements.” Putin told Erdoğan that he was disappointed by the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) response to the situation, which he described as “an attempt to ignore Russia’s legitimate concerns and demands.”
Also Read: Putin Sends Troops to Eastern Ukraine After Recognising Breakaway Regions Donetsk, Luhansk
Turkey, a member of NATO, has taken a softer position on Russia compared to other NATO members. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Erdoğan said that Turkey will cooperate with both Russia and Ukraine, and does not plan to impose sanctions on Moscow. “We have political, military and economic relations with Russia. Same with Ukraine. We cannot give this up if you ask me because our country has high interests in this regard,” he said.
While Turkey has supported Ukraine militarily by providing battle-tested Bayraktar TB-2 drones, despite Russian opposition, Ankara is also wary about angering Moscow by backing Kyiv. Russia and Turkey are Black Sea states and Ankara is worried that a war between Russia and Ukraine could potentially lead to Russian expansion in the Black Sea. Since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, Turkey has stated that Russia could undermine Turkish influence in the Sea; Erdoğan even said in 2016 that the Sea had become a “Russian lake.”
Moreover, Turkey has strong economic ties with Russia and relies on Moscow for a large share of its natural gas imports. Ankara is also aware that if Moscow were to cut off gas supplies, energy prices in the country would skyrocket, compounding its severe inflation and Erdoğan’s declining popularity.