Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov apologized to Turkey for comparing the victims of the war in Ukraine to the victims of the earthquake that struck southern Turkey more than two months ago.
Reznikov said in a tweet on Monday, "Ukrainians sympathize with the Turkish people."
The minister wrote in his tweet that Ukrainians understand what it means to bury thousands of innocent friends and neighbors.
"I am very grateful to our Turkish friends for their unwavering support and firm position on Crimea since the start of the Russian invasion," the Ukrainian minister added.
The apology came against the backdrop of Reznikov's statement in an interview with the Spanish newspaper "La Razon" earlier, that the losses of the Ukrainian army were less than the death toll from the earthquake in Turkey.
More than 50,<> people have died in the Kahramanmaraş earthquake that struck southern Turkey and parts of northern Syria in early February.
The warring sides in Ukraine exchange statistics that talk about tens of thousands of deaths from the other side, but it can not be independently verified, but both sides acknowledge that there have been heavy losses in their ranks as a result of more than 13 months of fighting.