Türkiye urges Russia and Ukraine to compromise for peace
ANTALYA
Turkish top diplomat Hakan Fidan has called on Russia and Ukraine to iron out their differences to make direct talks possible to end the war through an agreement, as teams from Russia and the United States have already arrived in Istanbul.
Speaking at a press conference following the informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Antalya on May 15, Fidan said there was cause for hope ahead of prospective talks between the two warring nations.
“If the parties' positions are harmonized and trust is established, a very important step towards peace will have been taken. We have enough reasons to be hopeful,” Fidan said.
But he also urged Russia and Ukraine to compromise for peace and stability in the region.
“Both sides have, in principle, expressed their willingness for a ceasefire. However, each has its own considerations: Ukraine favors the immediate launch of an unconditional ceasefire, while Russia maintains that certain modalities must first be agreed upon,” he stated.
Fidan highlighted Türkiye’s growing diplomatic influence as the country’s three top cities, Istanbul, Ankara and Antalya have been hosting important senior officials and diplomats. He recalled that delegations from Russia and the United States are already in Istanbul and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky paid a visit to Ankara on the same day as NATO foreign ministers, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are in Antalya.
Following the NATO meeting, Fidan and Rubio are expected to hold a bilateral meeting and then meet with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani in a trilateral meeting. The three ministers will discuss improving ties between Damascus and Washington after U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to lift all the sanctions against Syria.
On the margins of the NATO meeting, Fidan also met his counterparts from Germany, Britain, Greece, Austria, and Ukraine.
YPG has not taken steps
On a question about the recent agreement between Damascus and YPG for the integration of the latter to the Syrian national army, Fidan said Türkiye has welcomed the move but its implementation will be more important than the agreement.
“We have not seen any initiative from YPG in this regard; we are waiting for it to be implemented,” he said, stressing that the Syrian officials also told them that there was no concrete step taken by YPG.
On another question about a potential withdraw of American troops from Syria, the Turkish minister stressed “If the conditions that brought U.S. troops to the region are eliminated, the U.S. could also withdraw from the area without difficulty.”
On issues concerning the security of the Euro-Atlantic area amid efforts to shape a new security architecture, Fidan underlined that no new structure can be crafted without the involvement of the NATO.
“As NATO's second-largest military, Türkiye will continue to play a crucial role in the European security architecture through its military capabilities and defense industry infrastructure,” he said. He also reiterated Ankara’s expectation from EU member allies is that defense industry cooperation plans be implemented among all allies without restrictions.
