UN chief briefed Turkish president on his talks with Putin and Zelensky

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Saturday.

According to a statement from the Turkish Communications Directorate, Guterres informed Erdogan on his talks this week in Moscow and Kyiv.

Erdogan stated that Turkey is willing to assist the UN in both evacuations and humanitarian relief efforts.

He stated that they will continue to push both Ukraine and Russia to act in a rational manner toward reconciliation.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced on Twitter that the UN would redouble its efforts to save lives and alleviate human suffering in Ukraine.

His tweet came after a trip to Ukraine, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and a trip to Moscow on Tuesday, where he met Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Turkish president has spoken by phone with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts in the hopes of meeting them in Istanbul to settle the situation.

As a NATO member with maritime borders with both Ukraine and Russia, Turkey has a distinct profile and position. In the Middle East and North Africa region, Turkey is also Russia’s top trade partner.

The country has competed and collaborated with Russia in war zones such as Syria, Libya, and Nagorno-Karabakh, in recent years.