Turkish President Erdogan stated that he was “saddened” by the Russian invasion of Ukraine but his country has not joined in the near-universal sanctions that have been levied on Russia as a result of the invasion. Due to a number of factors, Turkey is between Scylla and Charybdis in its dealings with Russia on a number of fronts. Credit: Turkish PresidencyTurkey affirmed Ukraine’s territorial integrity and is “sincerely saddened” by the Russian invasion, President Tayyip Erdogan stated on Thursday, as he tries to keep a balance between appearing to show respect for international law while showing deference to Russia, which is building a series of nuclear power plants in the country.
Ukraine’s envoy to Ankara meanwhile urged Turkey to close the Bosphorus Straits to Russian warships as a way to try to contain some of the military might of the country after its invasion of Ukraine.
Russian forces invaded Ukraine by land, sea and air on Thursday after rolling its tanks into the Donbass area on Monday. The Thursday attacks constituted the largest such military action by one state against another in Europe since World War II.
#Turkey’s President Erdogan tries to play a balancing act, calls #Russia as a friend with deep historical & friendly ties while rejecting Russian military operations in #Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/RY503RXZlD
— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) February 24, 2022
Turkey navigates difficult political territory regarding Russian invasion
Turkey’s Erdogan, who historically maintains good relations with both Russia and Ukraine, and who had earlier offered to mediate in the conflict, told reporters that he had spoken earlier with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy by telephone.
