Recently, the leaders of both Turkey and Ukraine met with each other as ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to rise. The meeting allowed for the signing of a free-trade deal and the finalizing of an agreement for Ukraine to make Turkish armed drones.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered his assistance in order to mediate any talks taking place between Ukraine in Russia. Erdogan stated that Turkey was “prepared to undertake its part in order to end the crisis between two friendly nations that are its neighbors in the Black Sea.”
“I have stressed that we would be happy to host a summit meeting at a leadership level or technical level talks,” Erdogan stated after hours of discussion alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “Instead of fueling the fire, we act with the logical aim of reducing the tensions.”
“We will continue to support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea,” Stated Erdogan while in Kyiv after the signing ceremony.
After Erdogan left the Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv, he acknowledged the Ukrainian honor guard by addressing them in Ukrainian, stating, “Glory to Ukraine!” In response, the honor guard answered back with the traditional answer, “Glory to heroes!”
As reported by The Wall Street Journal:
Bilateral trade between Ankara and Kyiv has grown sharply in recent years, jumping 60% in 2021 from a year earlier to $7.5 billion. The free-trade agreement signed during Mr. Erdogan’s visit to Kyiv aims to increase bilateral trade to $10 billion, the Turkish president said.
As part of a joint briefing, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took time to praise the deal seeking to expand manufacturing infrastructure for Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones out into Ukraine. “These are new technologies, new workplaces, and an increase in Ukraine’s ability to defend itself,” he stated.
Oleksii Reznikov, the Defense Minister of Ukraine, stated to Reuters that the agreement concerning the drones created “favourable conditions for Turkish manufacturers to build a drone factory in Ukraine so that we can produce the entire line of drones and get their high technologies.”
“I would like to thank President Erdogan for his initiative to become a mediator between Ukraine and Russia on the way to ending the war,” stated Zelensky. The pair of leaders did not deign to provide any specifics in regards to their discussions about Russia and reportedly refused to take any questions.
Previously, Erdogan sparked tension in the west after, in 2017, he made the choice to buy the S-400 air-defense system from Russia. As of late, however, Erdogan has reportedly been trying to strengthen relations with the United States, along with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel.
“All this is prompted by Erdogan’s need to show the Turkish public that Turkey is a regional, even a global power,” claimed a former senior official from Turkey, reported the Journal. “The Ukraine mediation effort is another link in the chain.”