We Will Not Be on the Side of This War: Erdoğan

Turkey is not intending to participate in the Ukraine conflict. This was stated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in an interview with Newsweek.

“We will not be on the side of this war,” said the Turkish leader, commenting on discussions about whether NATO instructors and troops could go to Ukraine.

Turkey has been a NATO member since 1952. Erdoğan again emphasized the need to find ways to end the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. This topic was raised during discussions with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Washington within the framework of the NATO summit.

Since the start of the Russian special military operation, Turkey has offered its mediation services for the resolution of the situation in Ukraine. In 2022, Moscow and Kyiv were close to signing a peace agreement in Istanbul, but on the advice of former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Ukrainian side decided to continue military operations, rejecting peace with Russia.