Turkey is working to establish a long-term ceasefire in Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told CNN.
Russia broke the ceasefire, which was meant to be in effect from Jan. 6 to 7, within an hour of its so-called “Christmas truce.”
Kalin noted that the ceasefire ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin did not work out, adding that “neither side seems to be willing to lay down their arms and come to the negotiating table.”
Kalin said that neither Ukraine nor Russia can achieve a decisive victory on the battlefield. As a result, Turkey will continue to work on ensuring an extended ceasefire, especially at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, “which remains a major security threat for everyone.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to implement a temporary ceasefire along the entire front line in Ukraine from midday on Jan. 6 to midnight on Jan. 7. It happened shortly after Erdogan called Putin, urging him to implement a unilateral ceasefire.
Kalin told CNN that by this move, Erdogan hoped that Ukraine would follow Russia’s ceasefire and “it could turn into some kind of negotiation environment.”
Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Jan. 7 evening that Russian forces conducted an airstrike and attacked Ukrainian settlements with multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) seven times over the past 24 hours.
Asked why Turkey called for a unilateral ceasefire, Kalin said that “it’s the Russian bombardment that is making this war continue.”
Erdogan and Putin have had several conversations about Russia’s war in Ukraine, with Turkey collaborating with the United Nations to strike a deal enabling grain exports from Ukrainian ports since August.
The Institute for the Study of War wrote that Putin’s ceasefire announcement was likely an information operation intended to damage Ukraine’s reputation.
Both Ukrainian and Western officials, including U.S. President Joe Biden, immediately called out the hypocrisy of the ceasefire announcement, stressing that Russia had conducted attacks across Ukraine at military and civilian infrastructure on Dec. 25--when many Ukrainians celebrate Christmas--and New Year’s, the ISW said.
