The heads of the US Department of State and the Turkish Foreign Ministry Anthony Blinken and Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed the situation around Ukraine during telephone conversations.

This statement was made by the head of the press service of the American Foreign Ministry, Ned Price.

"US Secretary of State Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu discussed the importance of further coordination of actions in relation to the threat of Russia's escalation of the situation in Ukraine," reads a press release posted on the State Department's website.

In addition, the parties raised the possibility of cooperation both on a bilateral basis and as NATO allies "to address issues of common concern."

Mediator services

Turkey has recently shown an increased interest in the Ukrainian topic.

This is not the first time that Ankara has attempted to become a party to negotiations to resolve the situation in the east of the country.

In particular, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly spoken about his readiness to act as a mediator between Kiev and Moscow.

“Our position on the situation in Ukraine is well known.

Turkey is in favor of ensuring peace with an emphasis on the situation of the Crimean Tatars.

We have repeatedly discussed this issue with friendly Russia.

Contacts continue ... Turkey is ready for mediation, "Anadolu agency quoted Erdogan on November 29, 2021.

  • President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan

  • AP

  • © Turkish Presidency Pool

The proposal of the Turkish leader was then positively assessed in Kiev.

As the adviser to the head of the presidential office, Mikhail Podolyak, said in a commentary to RBC-Ukraine on the same day, at Bankova "they welcome the efforts of such a powerful player, which is Turkey today in the global political market."

Ukraine's readiness to cooperate with Turkey to resolve the conflict was also announced at the same time by the country's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba.

However, as the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov noted in an interview with reporters on November 29 last year, Moscow does not see the need for any mediating efforts to de-escalate tensions.

“Those who wish and have such an opportunity can help by influencing official Kiev,” Peskov emphasized.

Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, spoke in the same vein.

"An important step in this direction could be his (Erdogan -

RT

) contribution to persuading the Ukrainian authorities to abandon aggressive plans against Donbass, and finally begin to implement the Minsk agreements in direct dialogue with representatives of Donetsk and Lugansk," the diplomat said at a briefing December 1, 2021.

At the same time, Zakharova recalled that Russia is not a party to the conflict in Donbass.

However, Moscow's restrained stance did not prevent Erdogan from repeating his proposal later.

During his visit to Doha on December 8, the Turkish leader once again declared his readiness to make a "feasible contribution" to the formation of channels of dialogue in order to reduce tensions between Kiev and Moscow. "

As noted in the office of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is very optimistic about Turkish initiatives, since he believes that he managed to find a common language with Erdogan.

“But not everyone around Zelensky shares this optimism.

Turkey wants to demonstrate its importance to the US and EU countries, but Erdogan is unlikely to help resolve the conflict.

And another question, whose interests will he defend? ", - said an RT source in the president's office. 

The RT source in the Servant of the People party also believes that it would be naive to believe that Turkey has become interested in Ukraine by itself, and not as a tool to achieve its own goals. 

"The President of Turkey only wants to take advantage of the opportunities that have opened up and increase his influence in the region, and not help Ukraine deal with problems," the interlocutor of RT said.

The Batkivshchyna party spoke with irony about the possible mediation of Turkey in the internal Ukrainian conflict. 

“The whole world is already dealing with Ukrainian problems - from Germany to the United States.

And now Ankara also wants to connect.

It is naive to believe that they all want to protect the interests of Ukraine - each country pursues its own goals.

Surprisingly, such simple and seemingly obvious things have to be explained to the country's leadership.

If Erdogan warmly welcomed Zelensky and told a couple of gossip, this does not mean that he is ready to help Ukraine in everything, "says an RT source in the Batkivshchyna party.

My own game

According to experts, Turkey is trying to use the Ukrainian situation in its own interests.

According to analysts, Ankara does not intend to choose any one side, therefore it is balancing between Russia and Ukraine.

“Turkey does not want to give false hopes to anyone.

The Turks seem to warn everyone that building contacts with one of the players does not at all imply an automatic refusal to cooperate with others, even if there is enmity or contradiction between these Ankara partners, ”explained Yuri Mavashev, director of the Center for the Study of a New Turkey, in an interview with RT.

An example of this is the position that Turkey has taken with regard to new sanctions against Russia, which are actively discussed by Western countries in the context of the allegedly impending Russian attack on Ukraine.

In particular, at a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Riga on December 1, 2021, Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the next restrictions would not help resolve the conflict in Donbass.

“Instead of sanctions, for example, effective containment mechanisms should be used.

No one can help Ukraine or any other country through sanctions alone, ”Turkish Daily Sabah quoted Cavusoglu as saying.

At the same time, at a meeting of the Academy of International Security on December 24, the Turkish minister made a statement that Ankara would not "ignore close relations with Ukraine because of its extensive ties with Russia."

In addition, Turkey is one of the suppliers of military equipment for Ukraine.

In particular, in 2019, Kiev signed an agreement with Ankara on the purchase of a batch of Bayraktar TB2 attack drones.

At the same time, Bloomberg, citing data from its sources in the Turkish company, announced in early December 2021 that Ankara is currently preparing at least two dozen more UAVs for Kiev.

  • Turkish drone Bayraktar TB2

  • Legion-Media

  • © Raj Valley

At the same time, Russia had earlier warned Turkey that such weapons could be used by the Ukrainian authorities to destabilize the situation in the region.

Moreover, on October 26, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on the first combat use of a Turkish drone in Donbass.

Ankara rejects criticism, stating that as soon as drones arrive in Ukraine, they cease to be Turkish.

"Although it (weapons. - 

RT

) was produced in Turkey, now it belongs to Ukraine ... Turkey has nothing to blame for this situation," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with the Moscow.

Kremlin.

Putin "on the TV channel" Russia 1 "on October 31, 2021.

"Exclusive relationship"

Analysts interviewed by RT note that the current contact between Turkey and the United States is beneficial to both parties.

Washington and Ankara are interested in restoring relations.

Moreover, each country pursues its own interests.

According to Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics at Moscow State Pedagogical University, the topic of Ukraine allows Ankara and Washington to get closer after disagreements over the purchase of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems from Russia by Turkey.

For Ankara, this conversation is an occasion to demonstrate that, despite the tensions in relations, it remains a loyal partner to the United States.

“One can even say that this American-Turkish format in Ukraine means bringing relations between the two countries to a new level.

This is what Ankara was striving for - exclusive relations with the United States, a separate dialogue in the Eastern Mediterranean, "Shapovalov explained in an interview with RT.

  • White House in Washington

  • Gettyimages.ru

  • © Danita Delimont

In turn, Yuri Mavashev believes that in the Ukrainian issue, the United States is more interested in Turkey than it is in them.

“It is in the interests of Washington, given the increasing role and importance of Turkey in many regions of the world, to build close contacts with Ankara.

Moreover, the White House has almost nothing to offer Turkey against the background of the exclusion of the republic from the program for the joint production of F-35.

So here the Turks are already using the Americans, ”he said in an interview with RT.

Nevertheless, experts agree that Turkey is playing its own game, trying to get involved in the Ukrainian topic and hoping to use the current situation in its own interests.

“Turkey maneuvers between several centers of power.

This line has already proved its effectiveness more than once and justified itself in the eyes of the Turkish establishment.

At the same time, Ankara seeks to prevent the strengthening of one of the international players in the Black Sea region, ”Mavashev said.

And in this case, according to the expert, we are talking not only about Russia, but also about the United States.

In turn, Vladimir Shapovalov recalled that Turkey's interest in Ukraine is explained by the idea of ​​neo-Ottomanism, which is being promoted in every possible way in Ankara.

“The current leadership of Turkey recalls that the Black Sea was once Ottoman, and the southern part of Ukraine was part of the Ottoman Empire.

In particular, we are talking about Crimea, the return of which to the Russian Federation was perceived by the electorate of Erdogan with displeasure, since the peninsula and the Crimean Tatar diaspora were considered there as part of the Turkic world, ”the analyst explained.

In this regard, Shapovalov believes, Kiev should not flatter itself about the true reasons why Ankara is showing interest in his affairs.

“Turkey, in Kiev's understanding, is called upon to fill the vacuum of power, the absence of real allies.

However, I believe that this is an illusory prospect, since Turkey is not going to defend Ukraine, but to use it for the realization of its great-power interests, ”the expert summed up.