Ready To Mediate The Russia-Ukraine Conflict, President Erdogan: We Hope This Region Is Not Dominated By War

President Vladimir Putin with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru/The Presidential Press and Information Office)

JAKARTA - Turkey can mediate between Ukraine and Russia amid rising tensions in the region, said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

"We hope this region does not become a region dominated by war. Let this region walk into the future as a region dominated by peace," said President Erdogan, citing Daily Sabah November 29.

"We want the attitude in this regard to develop in a positive direction. There may be mediation on this, we will discuss this issue with them, we want to share a solution by developing these talks both with Ukraine and with President Putin," he added upon his return from Turkmenistan.

Ukrainian military intelligence said last week that Russia had assembled more than 92,000 troops around the Ukrainian border and was preparing for an attack in late January or early February.

Ukraine, which wants to join the NATO military alliance, blames Moscow for supporting separatists in the conflict in its east since 2014.

Meanwhile, Russia has said it suspects Ukraine of wanting to retake separatist-held territory by force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday Kyiv had no such plans, calling Russia's rhetoric against Ukraine's offer to join NATO worrying.

Russian troops annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in February 2014, with Russian President Vladimir Putin formally dividing the territory into two separate federal subjects from the Russian Federation the following month.

Turkey, a NATO member, has criticized Moscow's annexation of Crimea and voiced support for Ukraine's territorial integrity. The United States and the United Nations General Assembly view the annexation as illegal.

To note, fighting between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists in the Donbass has killed more than 13,000 people since 2014, according to the United Nations. The region is one of several sources of friction between Russia and Ukraine.