Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, February 3, 2022.Reuters /Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo
By Reuters
Turkey is ready to give all possible assistance during the negotiation process between Ukraine and Russia, President Tayyip Erdogan told Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a telephone call, the Turkish presidency said on Sunday.
Erdogan said the evacuation of the wounded and civilians in Ukraine’s Mariupol must be ensured, adding that Turkey viewed the guarantor issue positively in principle. Ukraine has sought security guarantees from various countries during talks.
Talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul on March 29 were seen as a breakthrough in the push to halt hostilities that, according to the UN figures, have claimed the lives of at least 2,435 civilians and left 2,946 more injured since Feb. 24.
More than 5.1 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with over 7.7 million more internally displaced, said the UN refugee agency.