Ukraine Praises Turkey Drone Deal, President Erdogan Offers To Mediate Russian Standoff

President Zelensky with President Erdogan. (Wikimedia Commons/Presindent.ua)

JAKARTA - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday welcomed an offer from Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who is visiting to mediate the Kyiv standoff with Moscow, with President Erdogan pledging to do whatever he can to end the crisis peacefully.

In a move likely to attract Moscow's attention, Zelenskiy also announced a deal that would allow Ukrainian factories to produce Turkish drones, which have been deployed in Ukraine's fight against Russian-backed rebels in the eastern Donbass region.

Turkey and Ukraine, which are maritime Black Sea neighbours, signed a series of agreements including a free trade deal that Kyiv said would increase bilateral annual trade to about $10 billion over five years compared to the current $7 billion.

"I would like to thank President Erdogan for his initiative to mediate between Ukraine and Russia on the way to ending the war," Zelenskiy said, citing Reuters on February 4.

The two presidents gave no details of their talks on Russia and did not ask questions.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told Reuters the drone deal created "favorable conditions for Turkish manufacturers to build drone factories in Ukraine so that we can manufacture the entire drone line and get their high technology".

Bayraktar TB2 Turkish drone. (Wikimedia Commons/Bayhaluk)

Russia accused Kyiv of "destructive" behavior after its troops last October used the Bayraktar TB2 drone to attack positions controlled by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

President Erdogan is the latest NATO leader to visit Kyiv after the Prime Ministers of the Netherlands, Poland, and Britain, part of an effort to show Western solidarity with Ukraine as Russia amassed more than 100.000 troops near their common border.

Turkey has good relations with Kyiv and Moscow, but says it will do what it takes as a NATO member if Russia attacks. A Turkish official said President Erdogan did not choose either side.

"Our visit comes at a sensitive time. I want to state that we continue to support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea," President Erdogan said, referring to the territory annexed by Russia in 2014.

For information, Russia denies Western accusations that they plan to attack Ukraine but demands security guarantees including a ban on Ukraine from joining NATO. It said it would take unspecified military action if its demands were not met.

A Turkish diplomatic source said Russia and Ukraine were both open to Ankara's offer of mediation. Turkey has defied sanctions threatened by other NATO members in the event of a Russian military strike.