ISTANBUL, Turkey — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told
Russian leader Vladimir Putin in a phone call on Wednesday that Turkey would
not recognise any move against Ukraine's sovereignty, and warned against a
military conflict.
اضافة اعلان
Erdogan told Putin that Turkey would "not recognize any
step against Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," his office
said, adding that this was Ankara's "principled approach".
President Vladimir Putin has defied an avalanche of
international sanctions and put his forces on stand-by to occupy and defend two
rebel-held areas of eastern Ukraine.
Russia recognized the regions as independent this week, a
serious escalation of tensions in the ongoing crisis.
NATO member Turkey, which has friendly ties to Russia and
Ukraine, has sought to position itself as a mediator.
During the phone call with Putin, Erdogan said "a
military conflict would not bring benefit to anyone", and that Ankara
prioritized diplomacy and dialogue, the presidency said.
"Turkey is ready to do its part to reduce tensions and
maintain peace," he told Putin.
The Kremlin said Putin told Erdogan about the
"necessity" of his decision to recognize east Ukraine's rebel Donetsk
and Lugansk republics — a move that opens the door to the presence of the
Russian army there.
Putin said the decision was taken "in the conditions of
the aggression of Ukrainian authorities in Donbas and their categorical
refusal" to abide to a peace agreement, the Kremlin said.
Erdogan cut short a trip to Africa amid the flurry of
diplomacy over the crisis and returned Turkey late on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters on the plane home, Erdogan said Turkey
did not want to choose between Russia and Ukraine, in comments published in
Turkish media on Wednesday.
"It is not possible for us to give up on both," he
said.
"We have political and military relations with Russia.
We also have political, military and economic ties with Ukraine," he
added.
"We want this issue to be resolved without us having to
choose between the two."
Erdogan has proposed a trilateral summit in Turkey with
Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Turkish leader told Zelensky in a phone call on Tuesday
that "Putin's recognition of so-called republics" was unacceptable.
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