President Erdogan Warns Russia And Ukraine That War Will Not Work And Is Not A Realistic Scenario

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Source: Presidency of The Republic of Turkiye)

JAKARTA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Eastern European region could not accept another war, underlining the Russian invasion of Ukraine was not a realistic scenario.

"I don't see Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a realistic approach. Because Ukraine is not an ordinary country. Ukraine is a strong country. In addition, for Russia to take this step, it is necessary to review the situation around the world. And the situation itself," said President Erdogan, quotes Daily Sabah on January 18th.

Stressing war needs to be erased from political history, President Erdogan said, "These things will not work with excuses, I will occupy land somewhere, I will take it."

Being one of the few NATO members to have good political, economic, and military ties with Russia, Turkey has maintained its neutrality and has followed a pragmatic approach since rising tensions last year. He also defended his support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and opposed the illegal annexation of Crimea.

On the occasion, President Erdogan also reiterated Ankara's position on Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea.

"Here, for example, what is Russia doing in Ukraine? Hitting Crimea. Regarding Crimea, I always tell President Putin, we oppose the invasion of Crimea in every meeting we hold. Our Foreign Ministry conveys this to his colleagues at the same. So Our policy is clear in this regard," he said.

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. Military tensions between Ukraine and Russia have been high since Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

Meanwhile, Ukraine, which wants to join the NATO military alliance, blames Moscow for supporting separatists in the conflict in its east since 2014. Russia sees itself threatened by NATO's advances and wants to prevent neighboring former Soviet republics Ukraine and Georgia from joining NATO.