Erdogan Calls on Putin to Make 'Honorable Exit' from Ukraine War

Erdogan delivers a speech on the sidelines of the NATO Summit on Thursday (AFP)
Erdogan delivers a speech on the sidelines of the NATO Summit on Thursday (AFP)
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Erdogan Calls on Putin to Make 'Honorable Exit' from Ukraine War

Erdogan delivers a speech on the sidelines of the NATO Summit on Thursday (AFP)
Erdogan delivers a speech on the sidelines of the NATO Summit on Thursday (AFP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he will suggest Russian President Vladimir Putin to find an honorable exit from Ukraine and end the war.

Speaking to reporters on a return flight from a NATO summit in Brussels, Erdogan said Turkey could not impose sanctions on Russia due to its energy needs and cooperation.

“We are purchasing half of our gas from Russia,” Erdogan said. “We are building the Akkuyu Nuclear Energy Plant with Russia.”

“I may have a talk with Putin either this weekend or early next week. As we will make an assessment of the NATO meetings with him, we should tell him, ‘After this, you should be the architect of the moves for peace.’ We should find a way to end this by suggesting him ‘Find an honorable exit,’” Erdogan said.

Erdogan added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was likely to end Ukraine’s bid for NATO membership.

“Ukraine also expressed that it could make some concessions on disarmament,” Erdogan said.

Erdogan and Zelensky held a phone conversation to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

Turkey's position on its acquisition of Russian S-400 missile defense systems is unchanged and the matter is a "done deal", Erdogan was cited as saying, adding talks with Washington on new F-16 jets and kits were going well.

He further said Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett may soon visit Turkey, as Jerusalem and Ankara move to improve ties. He also said cooperation on natural gas could play a key role in furthering diplomatic ties.



China, Iran, Russia Kick Off Talks in Beijing on Iran's Nuclear Issues

The Iranian flag waves in front of the IAEA headquarters. (Reuters)
The Iranian flag waves in front of the IAEA headquarters. (Reuters)
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China, Iran, Russia Kick Off Talks in Beijing on Iran's Nuclear Issues

The Iranian flag waves in front of the IAEA headquarters. (Reuters)
The Iranian flag waves in front of the IAEA headquarters. (Reuters)

Senior diplomats from Iran, Russia and China gathered in Beijing on Friday for talks on Tehran's nuclear issues, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported, days after Tehran rejected US "orders" to resume dialogue over the Iranian nuclear program.
In 2015, Iran reached a deal with the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany and agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. But in 2018, Donald Trump, a year into his first term as US president, pulled out of the pact, Reuters reported.
Last week, Trump said he had sent a letter to Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamenei proposing nuclear talks, adding that "there are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal".
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded that he would not negotiate with the US while being "threatened", and Iran would not bow to US "orders" to talk.
Iran was further enraged after six of the United Nations Security Council's 15 members - the US, France, Greece, Panama, South Korea and Britain - held a closed-door meeting this week to discuss its nuclear program. Tehran said the meeting was a "misuse" of the UN Security Council.
In the run-up to the Beijing talks on Friday - attended by the vice foreign ministers of China, Russia and Iran - China said it hoped the trilateral meeting would help create "conditions" for the early resumption of dialogue and negotiations.
Iran has long denied that it is working on developing a nuclear weapon. But the International Atomic Energy Agency warned last month that Tehran was "dramatically" accelerating enrichment of uranium to near the roughly 90% weapons-grade level.