site.btaTurkey: A Key Mediator in Settling the Russia-Ukraine Conflict?

Turkey, maintaining as it does good relations with both Russia and Ukraine, has emerged as a key mediator in the quest for a peaceful settlement of the conflict. Ankara declared firmly it cannot give up either on Russia or on Ukraine, with both of which it maintains strategic economic relations. At the same time, it stresses that the problem between Russia and Ukraine should be resolved through diplomacy, underscoring its favourable position to mediate as a party that can talk with both Moscow and Kyiv.

Turkey maintains a balanced and neutral position regarding the conflict, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and senior officials making careful statements and striving to retain the confidence of both parties.

Ankara condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and called it unacceptable, but did not join the sanctions of the West against Moscow. In an interview for CNN-Turk on Thursday, presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin reiterated that Turkey is not considering sanctions against Moscow. He pointed out that Ankara wants to keep the communication channel open and does not want to see its economy suffer.

Addressing the parliamentary group of the ruling Justice and Development Party on Wednesday, Erdogan faulted the Western countries' approach to settlement of the crisis. He declared that they only gave a lot of advice, blaming them of abandoning Ukraine. "Just as we would not abandon Ukraine, we also do not accept actions akin to a witch-hunt against the Russian people, literature, students or artists. Such fascist practices cast a shadow over Ukraine's legitimate struggle in resisting Russian troops by fuelling a climate of hatred and grudges and sowing new grievances," the President pointed out.

Thursday’s trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine and Turkey in the southern sea resort Antalya was a concrete result of Ankara's active diplomatic efforts to achieve a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine. This came after intensive Turkish telephone diplomacy: Erdogan's telephone conversations with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as those of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusolglu with his Ukrainian and Russian colleagues, Dmytro Kuleba and Sergey Lavrov. Cavusolgu told a news conference after the talks that both sides had wanted the meeting to be held in Turkey and Ankara had undertaken to help with the dialogue at their wish.

The 180-minute meeting between Lavrov and Kuleba, at which Cavusoglu was also present, was the first high-level meeting between representatives of Russia and Ukraine since the war began and the first time the two foreign ministers had met in a long time.

With headlines like "A First Step to Peace" (Sabah), "Important Beginning in Antalya" (Yeni Safak), "A Significant Beginning" (Milliyet), and "Hostile Parties at One Table" (Aksam), among others, the leading Turkish newspapers underscored the significance of the meeting as the beginning of diplomatic efforts to achieve peace.

"A ceasefire was not agreed at the historic first meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers in Antalya, but a very important first step was made," Hurriyet noted, stressing that it had sent the message for "continuing the peace talks". Reporting in the same vein, Sabah adds that the sides indicated a possible meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy.

The papers also quote Cavusolglu as saying that a top-level meeting had been mentioned at the talks and that both sides were more or less positive about a possible meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents.

"The high-level meeting in Antalya did not produce the solution of a ceasefire the world expected, but the fact that both sides concurred on the approach that diplomacy is the only way out, strengthened the hopes for peace," the Karar wrote. The papers also quote Cavusoglu's tweet after the meeting that Ankara would continue with its efforts as a diplomatic go-between.

The Sabah also pointed out that in a telephone conversation with US President Joe Biden on Thursday, Erdogan called organizing the meeting in Antalya a "victory of diplomacy," while Biden said he was very pleased with Turkey's diplomatic initiatives.

Before the meeting in Antalya, Cavusoglu told Hurriyet's analyst Abdulkadir Selvi that it was an important foundation, a groundwork allowing more serious steps to be taken in the future. "Our main goal is to bring the three leaders together. To ensure that our President and Putin and Zelenskyy hold a trilateral meeting," Cavusoglu is quoted as saying, indicating the next goal of Ankara's diplomatic efforts.