Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin called Russian President Vladimir Putin a far-sighted leader and stressed that he is not trying to force his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to take sides in the Ukrainian crisis.
Kalin added: “Mr. Putin is a far-sighted leader who understands that such things cannot be imposed on Erdogan. Erdogan and Putin have a very good and strong relationship based on mutual trust. Thanks to these relationships, we can work on the Syrian arena, the platform in Astana, the grain deal and other issues.”
Regarding the dialogue on Ukraine, he noted that “Russia is well aware of Turkey’s position.”
He added: “We are telling the Russian side that the conflict must be ended on the basis of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the preservation of its political independence and the return of all annexed lands.”
Source: TASS