Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin is pictured during an interview with Reuters in Istanbul, Turkey, September 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
DOHA, March 27 – Turkey and other nations have yet to talk to Russia to help end the war in Ukraine, Turkey’s presidential spokesman said on Sunday, adding that Kyiv needs more support to defend himself.
NATO member Turkey has good relations with both Russia and Ukraine and has sought to mediate in the months-long conflict.
“If everyone burns bridges with Russia, who will talk to them at the end of the day,” Ibrahim Kalin told the Doha International Forum.
“Ukrainians must be supported by any means necessary so that they can defend themselves … but the Russian case must be heard one way or another” so that his grievances can be understood when they are unjustified, Kalin added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on the West to provide his country with tanks, planes and missiles to counter Russian forces. The West has responded to Russia’s invasion by imposing sweeping economic sanctions on Moscow. Continue reading
Ankara says Russia’s invasion is unacceptable but fundamentally opposes and has not joined Western sanctions.
Turkey’s economy, already strained by a currency crisis in December, is heavily dependent on Russian energy, trade and tourism, and since the war began on February 24, thousands of Russians have arrived in Turkey, calling them a safe haven from sanctions look at.
Ahmet Burak Daglioglu, head of Turkey’s Investment Bureau, separately told the forum that some Russian companies would relocate their operations to Turkey.
Asked if Turkey is doing business with people who could be of use to President Vladimir Putin, he told a panel: “We don’t target, we don’t hunt, we don’t pursue investments or capital that comes with a has a question mark .”
Two superyachts linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich have docked in Turkish resorts. Continue reading
Western governments have imposed sanctions on Abramovich and several other Russian oligarchs trying to isolate Putin and his allies over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Reporting by Ghaida Ghantous, Andrew Mills and Jonathan Spicer; Edited by Edmund Blair and Gareth Jones