Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that his country is on Ukraine’s side in the war against Russia.
“While we continue our efforts to find a solution, we stand by our Ukrainian friends,” he said. The statement, which could sound like a repeat of other expressions of support from Kiev’s allies, stands out in contrast to Erdogan’s recent steps – in recent months, the Turk has been growing closer to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
Two weeks ago, for example, the two leaders met in Sochi, in southern Russia, and agreed to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries. The approach was viewed with caution and with reservations by the West, and analysts predicted that Ankara could help Moscow circumvent sanctions imposed in retaliation against the war that is about to complete six months.
Erdogan’s nod to Kiev came during the Turk’s visit to Lviv, in western Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and UN Secretary General António Guterres. At the meeting, Turkey also pledged to help Ukraine rebuild the infrastructure destroyed during the war with Russia, and the leaders discussed political solutions to end the conflict, the security of the Zaporijia nuclear plant and the recent treaty for the disposal. of cereal production.
The reconstruction agreement was signed by Turkish Trade Minister Mehmet Mus and Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov. The details of the treaty are still unclear, but officials said a task force will be created to attract investment, develop cooperation projects and facilitate work. “Turkish business and government structures will be able to develop specific reconstruction projects, as well as provide consultancy and technical assistance,” the Ukrainian ministry said in a statement.
Erdogan expressed concern about the scenario of the Zaporijia plant. The largest nuclear complex in Europe was taken over by Russia in March, but has gained centrality in the current phase of the Ukrainian War. Moscow accuses Kiev of recklessly firing at the site, while Ukrainians claim invading troops set off deliberate explosions to disrupt the country’s power supply.
“We are worried, we don’t want another Chernobyl,” Erdogan said, referring to the worst nuclear accident in history, which took place in 1986, when Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union.
After meeting the visiting leaders, Zelensky held a press conference in which he said he had reached agreement on the parameters of an International Atomic Energy Agency mission to inspect the Zaporyjia plant. The Ukrainian also again urged Russia to immediately withdraw its forces from the site and stop bombing the nuclear complex.
Kiev’s military intelligence services accuse Moscow of preparing a “major provocation” on the spot for this Friday (19) by ordering all civilians working at the plant to stay at home for one day, with the exception of the minimum staff needed to keep the plant running.
Zelensky, Erdogan and Guterres also welcomed the success of a UN-brokered agreement that allows ships from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports to pass through and discussed ways to improve the dialogue. According to the Turkish leader, this could provide a basis for negotiations on an end to the war.
