Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that his government’s support for Ukraine’s “territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence” is “unwavering.”
Erdogan added that Russia should return occupied Crimea to Ukrainian control, in accordance with international law.
Erdogan’s support for Ukraine was blended with his support of the Crimean Tartars, whose leader Mustafa Abulcemil helped organize Wednesday’s summit. The Turkish leader noted that Wednesday marked the 80th anniversary of the expulsion of the Tartars from Crimea, a brutal ethnic cleansing ordered by Russian dictator Josef Stalin.
Erdogan said the Crimean Tartars have a right to live “freely, securely, and peacefully in their homeland.” They are unlikely to exercise this right so long as Russia occupies the Crimean peninsula, as they have done since 2014.
Russia’s annexation of Crimea, accomplished with a quiet infiltration of troops followed by a rigged “vote” at gunpoint, has been ruled illegal by the United Nations and European Union. The U.N. has documented serious human rights violations by occupying Russian forces, including aggressive persecution of the remaining Crimean Tartars.
“Our sincere wish is for the war to end with a fair and lasting peace based on Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence,” he said.
Erdogan made his remarks in a video address to the Fourth Summit of the International Crimea Platform, hosted by Ukraine with over 60 nations and international organizations participating.
One of those participating organizations was NATO, whose Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg submitted a video address promising continued military support for Ukraine.
Stoltenberg said the courage of Ukraine’s defenders was an inspiration “to the world and to me personally.” He said Ukraine is on an “irreversible path to membership in NATO,” which also counts Turkey as a member.
Turkey occupies a singular position in the Ukrainian conflict, a balancing act in which it maintains good relations with Russia while remaining a NATO member and openly supporting Ukraine. Turkish companies have provided Ukraine’s defenders with some of their most effective drone weapons against the Russian invaders.
Erdogan has pitched himself as a potential mediator for cease-fire negotiations and it seems likely he would be more acceptable to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky than the other major aspirant for that role, China.
On Thursday, Zelensky trashed China’s much-touted “six-point plan,” rolled out after a May meeting between Chinese and Brazilian officials.
“You either support the war, or you don’t support the war. If you don’t support it, then help us stop Russia,” Zelensky truculently informed the Chinese.
The Ukrainian leader said the so-called “China-Brazil consensus” would require Ukrainians to “give up our land” and “forget that they are killing our people.”
“What is the compromise in that? That’s why I think it’s destructive. It’s just a political statement,” he said.
