Ankara increases pressure on Moscow in Ukraine war. UN Secretary-General Guterres visits the Turkish president.
Istanbul. Turkey is increasing pressure on Russia to give new impetus to its mediation in the Ukraine war: Ankara has blocked Turkish airspace for sending Russian troops to Syria. This complicates the Russian military operation in Syria and is Turkey’s most explicit action against Moscow’s interests to date. The aim is to persuade Russia to start new negotiations with Ukraine. UN Secretary-General António Guterres will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on Monday before traveling to Moscow and Kiev.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavusoğlu said Turkey has so far approved the airlift of Russian troops through its airspace to Syria every three months. The last license expired in early April; the stop must be applied for three months. Çavusoğlu said he informed his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov about this in March. The decision applies equally to military and civil aircraft.