ANKARA, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Turkey’s foreign minister will stress the “strategic priority” of maintaining security in the Black Sea at a summit on Ukraine in Paris this week, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said on Monday.
French President Emmanuel Macron convened a meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing” on Tuesday. The group, led by Britain and France, includes more than 30 nations.
The source said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan would attend the meeting and would repeat Turkey’s position on the need for “results-oriented” steps to end the war.
FOCUS ON DRAFT US PLAN
Talks at the Paris summit would focus on articles in a U.S. draft plan to end the war, as well as security guarantees for Ukraine and the possible role the Coalition can play, the source said.
The person said Fidan would point to “concrete” results from three previous rounds of direct talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Istanbul, including prisoner swaps, and repeat Ankara’s offer to host a leaders’ meeting of the warring sides.
Fidan would “state that Turkey views maintaining security in the Black Sea as a strategic priority and that it is reminding all sides of its position on this matter”, the source said.
NATO member Turkey has maintained cordial ties with Moscow and Kyiv throughout the war. It has provided military support to Ukraine but refused to join Western sanctions on Russia.
Ankara has warned both sides against the recent escalation in the Black Sea, which saw Russian and Turkish vessels struck by drones, as well as Ukrainian ports damaged. Turkey has also seen a series of drones enter its airspace in recent weeks, and downed one near its capital.
Erdogan said last week he would discuss various issues with U.S. President Donald Trump in a phone call on Monday, including matters related to the Russia-Ukraine war.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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