Erdoğan to discuss Russia-Ukraine war with Biden

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will hold a phone call with the United States President Joe Biden to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine amid the Russian invasion, according to Azerbaijan in Focus, reporting Daily Sabah, citing the White House.

Erdoğan has been striving to facilitate diplomacy to put an end to the ongoing war, which has devastated the lives of innocent civilians in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will hold a trilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu as part of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on Thursday.

Maintaining its neutral and balanced stance, Turkey continues its diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the Ukraine conflict, urging all sides to exercise restraint. While Ankara has opposed international sanctions designed to isolate Moscow, it also closed the Bosporus and Dardanelles under a 1936 pact, allowing it to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing the Turkish Straits.

NATO ally Turkey borders Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea and has good ties with both. Since the beginning of the conflict, Ankara has offered to mediate between the two sides and host peace talks, underlining its support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Having recently called Russia’s invasion an unacceptable violation of international law, Turkey has carefully formulated its rhetoric not to offend Moscow, with which it has close energy, defense and tourism ties.