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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Ukraine on Thursday (February 3rd).
He will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a meeting aimed at easing tensions between Kiev and Russia, a Turkish official said.
Ankara also has good relations with Kiev and Moscow, but opposes Russian policies in Syria and Libya. It also opposed Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula in 2014, REL reports.
While cooperating with Russia on defense and energy, Ankara has also sold sophisticated drones to Ukraine, angering Moscow.
“Erdogan will convey messages to Zelenskiy to maintain peace in the region and prevent escalating tensions and the outbreak of any conflict,” the official said on Monday.
“We expect these two meetings to be effective in reducing tensions between Russia and Ukraine,” said the Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Last week, Erdogan said it would not be a wise move if Russia attacks Ukraine, and if that happens, Turkey, as a NATO member, would do what was necessary.
Russia has amassed over 100,000 troops along the border with Ukraine. The West has said Moscow may be preparing to attack Kiev, but Moscow denies any such plans.
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