Ankara: Turkey does not side with anyone in Russia-Ukraine conflict
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country does not take sides in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
"Turkey has good relations with both Russia and Ukraine," Cavusoglu said in an interview with the Turkish news agency NTV.
Cavusoglu said Turkey wants to see peace in the Black Sea region, but existing tensions between Russia and Ukraine are hampering that. He stressed that Ankara would like a diplomatic solution to this conflict.
"We don't take sides. Our position is clear, balanced and constructive," the minister said.
He also officially confirmed that the U.S. decided not to send two warships to the Black Sea.
Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the next day he received Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul.
After that, Russia suspended air traffic with Turkey, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov insisted on Turkey not to "feed the militaristic mood" in Ukraine and not to sell it drones to Kyiv.