Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held separate phone conversations on Jan. 5 with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Despite being a NATO member, Ankara enjoys good relations with both Moscow and Kyiv.
Since the Russia–Ukraine conflict began more than 11 months ago, Turkey has sought to play a mediating role between the two warring parties.
According to the Kremlin, the Putin–Erdogan call tackled several issues, including energy cooperation, bilateral trade, the volatile situation in Syria, and the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Regarding the latter, Putin stressed “the destructive role of the Western states, which are pumping the Kyiv regime full of weapons and military equipment and providing operational and targeting information,” according to a statement released by the Kremlin.
During the phone call, Putin also affirmed Moscow’s willingness to hold peace talks “on the condition that Kyiv meets the clear demands that have been repeatedly laid out and recognize new territorial realities.”
In September 2022, Moscow formally incorporated four regions of Ukraine into the Russian Federation after holding controversial referendums.
Turkey–Syria Rapprochement
During their phone conversation, the two leaders also “gave a positive assessment” of a recent meeting—hosted by Moscow—of the Russian, Turkish, and Syrian defense ministers.“The hope was expressed that continued contacts in this trilateral format will help radically improve the situation in Syria by restoring its territorial integrity, resolving the refugee problem, and combatting international terrorist organizations,” the Kremlin statement reads.
On Dec. 28, 2022, top Turkish defense and intelligence officials met their Syrian counterparts at a landmark meeting in Moscow that was also attended by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
It was the first meeting between Turkish and Syrian defense ministers in more than a decade.
On Jan. 3, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he expected to meet his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad, later in January in Moscow.
Two days later, Erdogan said the planned foreign ministers’ meeting would likely pave the way for an eventual summit between himself, Putin, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
“Depending on developments, the Russian, Turkish, and Syrian leaders may come together with the aim of ensuring regional peace and security,” Erdogan told leaders of his ruling Justice and Development Party on Jan. 5.
Since the Syria conflict began in 2011, Turkey has backed armed rebel groups that have actively sought to overthrow Assad.
Russia, by contrast, supports Damascus and has kept a sizable troop presence in Syria since 2015 to shore up Assad and his government.
Nevertheless, recent months have seen signs of rapprochement between Ankara and Damascus—a development strongly encouraged by Moscow.
In return for mending fences with Assad, however, Turkey expects Russian—and Syrian—help against Kurdish militant groups based in northern Syria.
According to Turkey’s communications directorate, Erdogan told Putin during their phone call that “concrete steps” had to be taken to clear northern Syria of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and its Syrian offshoot, the YPG.
Turkey, along with the United States and the European Union, views the PKK as a terrorist group.
Since its establishment in the 1970s, the PKK has staged numerous attacks on both civilian and military targets inside Turkish territory.
Washington appears to take a dim view of the prospect of Turkey–Syria reconciliation.
Turkey Seeks Lasting Peace
Hours after speaking with Putin, Erdogan had a second phone call with Zelenskyy, during which he reiterated Turkey’s readiness to mediate between the two antagonists.During the conversation, Erdogan voiced Ankara’s willingness to “facilitate and mediate with a view to ensuring lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine,” according to the communications directorate.
The two leaders also discussed Turkish efforts to mediate a Russia–Ukraine prisoner swap and a Turkey-brokered agreement that lets Ukraine export its wheat through the Black Sea.
Turkey condemned Moscow’s “special military operation” in Ukraine when it began early last year. But it has also refused to support Western-led sanctions on Russia—to the displeasure of its NATO allies.
The relative neutrality displayed by Ankara has allowed it to position itself as an ideal mediator.
In 2022, Turkey hosted the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers in hopes of finding a mutually acceptable solution to the crisis. Soon afterward, Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Istanbul for talks.
While the talks were hailed as “constructive” by all sides, they failed to produce any tangible breakthroughs.
On Jan. 3, Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for Erdogan, said Ankara was pursuing “intense diplomacy” with both Moscow and Kyiv.
“Our relevant government ministers, foreign and defense ministers, and other colleagues are in contact with their counterparts from both sides,” Kalin said, according to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency.
Erdogan, for his part, after his phone call with Putin, said calls for peace talks should be accompanied by “a unilateral ceasefire and a vision for a fair solution.”
Hours later, Putin announced a unilateral ceasefire along the entire frontline to mark Christmas, which Russian Orthodox Christians celebrate on Jan. 7.
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