Turkey seeks end to Russian-Ukrainian war, profits from its continuation — journalist

This opinion was expressed by Ukrinform's correspondent in Turkey, Olha Budnyk, in the "World and Us" project with Yevhen Mahda.

"There are two sides to the coin. Of course, Turkey is interested in order and peace in the region because otherwise, they constantly have to balance between conflicts and escalations. They strive for peaceful coexistence. Of course, they are economically interested in the region's development, and they are an economic leader, situated at the crossroads of trade routes. They are also interested in the development of their own economy. 

Right now, Turkey's economy is suffering greatly from external and internal economic issues. Therefore, there is hope that the economy will improve when these conflicts are overcome. For example, if we look not at Ukraine's side but towards Iran, if the strait for oil is closed, Turkey will also suffer. Turkey will suffer if gas and oil pipelines in Iran are bombed, as gas would pass through Turkey to Europe," she said.

At the same time, Olha Budnyk noted that Turkey also has an interest in the continuation of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

"Because Turkey does not support sanctions. It said it would support sanctions if the UN declared them. Clearly, this will not happen. Turkey's role in negotiations allows it not to support sanctions. Why? Because it says, 'I must have good relations with both Russia and Ukraine in order to be honest with both sides. And if we apply sanctions against Russia, the balance will be disrupted.' 

Due to the absence of sanction support, Turkey's oil and gas storage facilities are completely filled with Russian oil and gas. It continues trading. Turkish companies have partially taken the places of Western companies that left the Russian market after sanctions were announced. So, in fact, Turkey benefits economically from this," she believes.

• On June 26, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that his American counterpart, Donald Trump, expressed readiness to participate in possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey, if Russian ruler Vladimir Putin also agrees to them.