Erdogan says Turkey's aim is 'to stop bloodshed' in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that his nation's aim is to stop bloodshed in the Russia-Ukraine war, as soon as possible. He admitted that there are many hurdles but claimed that the bloodshed has to be stopped. "Our goal is to continue the momentum gained despite the difficulties in the field and to stop the bloodshed as soon as possible," the Turkish President said. "Today's Astana Summit will go down in history as the summit where the conference turned into an international organization. We are going through a period in which the balances in the world have changed and we face serious tests in many fields," he said, as per Anadolu Agency.

Erdogan further claimed that the grain deal reached in July and the prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine in September, indicates that progress is possible. Turkey has maintained close contact with both Ukraine and Russia during this war.

He was addressing the sixth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in the Kazakh capital Astana. While Russian President Vladimir Putin is also attending the summit, Erdogan made the opening speech.

CICA is an intergovernmental multilateral initiative comprising 27 countries from all across Asia. It was established in 1992. It focuses on promoting peace, security and socio-economic development in the Asian continent.

The Turkish President is scheduled to meet the Russian President on Thursday, according to reports from Daily Sabah. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that preparations are underway for the meeting between two leaders. The two leaders will discuss Ukraine, ways to enhance the bilateral ties between their two nations and other current issues. 

Turkey's attempt to maintain relationship with both Russia and Ukraine 

Turkey supplied Ukraine with armed drones during the early phase of the war. These drones proved lethal and aided Ukraine in stopping Russia from entering Kyiv. Turkey is a member of NATO. At the same time, Turkey, which has close relations with Russia, attempted to block Sweden and Finland's NATO application. Turkey has also avoided joining Western sanctions against Russia. Erdogan believes that "a just peace can be achieved through diplomacy, that there will be no winners in war and no losers in a just peace." 

"As the Ukraine-Russian war drags on, unfortunately, the situation gets worse and more complicated," said Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. Advocating a ceasefire, he said: "A process that will ensure Ukraine's border and territorial integrity should start. Without a cease-fire, it is not possible to talk about those issues in a healthy way: a viable cease-fire and just peace."