Recalling that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan foresaw the risk of war between Russia and Ukraine and offered to mediate, German media outlet RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) reported, "Few people in the West at the time expected an impending Russian invasion. Erdoğan, however, clearly saw the imminent risk of war. "
It was noted in the commentary on the RND website that President Erdoğan remarked, during a joint press conference with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Thursday in Lviv, that he believes the war will ultimately be settled through negotiations.
The commentary stated, "President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Türkiye refuses to be intimidated; he wants to act as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine to end the war through negotiations. However, Erdoğan, the mediator, also has his own interests in mind. "
"Erdoğan saw the risk of war before the rest of the West"
"Few people in the West at the time anticipated an impending Russian invasion. Erdoğan, however, clearly saw the imminent risk of war." The article said, adding that President Erdoğan offered to mediate and cautioned over the diplomatic resolution of the conflict when Russia stationed its troops on the Ukrainian border last fall.
In the commentary, which notes that President Erdoğan is one of the very few foreign heads of state and government who had and still have good personal relationships with Zelensky and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, it is stated, "The President of Türkiye is trying to please both: Türkiye provides unmanned air vehicles to Ukraine. But at the same time, Türkiye is the only NATO member that does not impose Western sanctions against Russia."
In the commentary, which points out that President Erdoğan has strong ties with Moscow and that Putin has not met with any other Western politician as frequently as the Turkish President in recent months, it is stated, "They have close economic ties. Türkiye bought a quarter of its oil imports and half of its natural gas needs from Russia last year. In addition, the Russian state-owned company Rosatom is building Türkiye's first nuclear power plant near Mersin on the Mediterranean coast. Russia plays an important role as an export market and Turkish tourism."