President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan conducted high-level talks with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, over the weekend to advocate for regional stability and a diplomatic resolution to ongoing hostilities.
Erdoğan’s intense diplomacy started with a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin late on March 3, a day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky paid a snap visit to Istanbul.
According to a statement by the Communications Directorate, Erdoğan and Putin discussed the Türkiye-Russia bilateral relations as well as regional and global matters.
Noting that Türkiye approves neither attacks on Iran nor Iran’s retaliation against the countries in the region, Erdoğan stated that Türkiye continues its peace and stability-oriented engagements with all relevant parties to ensure the war does not further spiral out of control.
Erdoğan reiterated the need to prevent the Netanyahu government’s aggressive policies across the region, including his steps aimed at eroding al-Quds’ status.
Highlighting the importance of preventing any interruption in Türkiye’s quest for a peaceful end to the Russia-Ukraine war, Erdoğan further stressed that Türkiye urges all parties to refrain from steps that would result in an escalation, that attacks on civilian vessels in the Black Sea cause harm to the environment of stability, and that the Iran war should not be allowed to create additional conflict zones in the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
Erdoğan hosts Zelensky
Erdoğan hosted Zelensky on March 4 in Istanbul. A statement by the directorate following the lengthy meeting informed that the meeting addressed bilateral issues as well as the Ukraine-Russia peace process and other regional developments.
Erdoğan emphasized that Türkiye’s support for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia will continue and underlined that the region requires greater peace and stability.
He also stated that Türkiye attaches great importance to the safety of navigation in the Black Sea and highlighted the significance of energy supply security.
Erdoğan discusses regional issues with NATO chief
On March 4, Erdoğan also spoke on the phone with NATO chief Mark Rutte, the directorate said.
The president said the Iran-related process is heading toward a geostrategic deadlock and urged the international community to step up efforts to end the war. Referring to NATO’s support for Türkiye’s air defense, Erdoğan underlined that the solidarity demonstrated in this process once again highlights the alliance’s deterrent strength.
He also stated that we continue our efforts towards a peaceful resolution of the war in Ukraine. During the call, Erdoğan congratulated NATO on its 77th anniversary and noted his expectation that the upcoming July 7–8 summit in Ankara will yield strategic decisions to bolster the alliance’s resilience against future threats.
On the same day, Erdoğan also met with a Hamas delegation in Istanbul.
