JAKARTA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the exchange of detainees carried out by Russia and Ukraine, which involved nearly 300 people and was mediated by Turkey, was an important step towards ending the war, Turkey reported Thursday's NTV.
Among those exchanged, five senior Ukrainian commanders have arrived in Turkey, where they will stay until the end of the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called them'super heroes'.
President Erdogan told reporters in New York the exchange occurred as a result of diplomatic traffic he carried out with President Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Turkey has now received the results of its trust in the power of dialogue and diplomacy," he was quoted as saying at the end of his visit to the United States.
Turkey is known to have close ties to Russia and Ukraine, seeking to balance ties, rejecting Western sanctions against Moscow, while also criticizing Russia's invasion and supplying Kyiv with armed drones.
"This prisoner swap, which takes place under Turkey's mediation, is an important step towards ending the war," President Erdogan said.
"We will continue our efforts to achieve peace and stability in the future. For example, once we get back, we will call the leaders again and continue our phone diplomacy with them,"
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