Turkey advocates for the preservation of Ukraine's territorial integrity but does not rule out a "bitter choice" regarding territorial concessions.
This was stated by the country's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in an interview with TRT World. According to him, there has been a significant leap in negotiations for a ceasefire, and Turkey is ready to facilitate peace and recovery in Ukraine by any means possible. "But first and foremost, we need a ceasefire. And we need an effective, long-term peace plan," he said.
The minister emphasized that both European countries and Turkey should be at the negotiating table, as Turkey, in his opinion, can contribute more than many other players. "This is happening in our immediate neighborhood. And we have close ties with both sides," Fidan added.
In the view of the Turkish minister, only time will tell if the mediation by the United States will be sufficient to reach a compromise between Ukraine and the Russian Federation:
"In an ideal world, we would like to see the territorial integrity [of Ukraine] preserved. But right now, it is a time of war."
Turkey's Position on the War
It is well known that Ankara continues to balance between Ukraine and Russia, trying to maintain neutrality.
Turkey does not recognize the annexation of Crimea and other occupied territories, and at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, supplied the Ukrainian army with Bayraktar TB2 drones, armored vehicles, and humanitarian aid.
At the same time, the country did not support Western sanctions against Russia, maintained trade and economic relations with Moscow, and continues to purchase Russian gas and other energy resources.