Russia criticizes Turkey for supplying weapons to Ukraine while offering to negotiate peace

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he was “surprised” that Turkey continues to supply weapons to Ukraine while offering to act as a mediator in the conflict.

NATO member Turkey has tried to perform a balancing act between the two countries since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Ankara supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity and has provided the country with armed drones and other military support, but it is also strengthening its energy ties with Russia and opposes Western sanctions against Moscow.

Turkey hosted peace talks between the two nations shortly after the 2022 invasion, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly discussed brokering further talks. Since then, Ukraine has remained adamant not to engage directly with Russia in peace talks, and Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that Kiev had already twice rejected Moscow’s ceasefire initiatives.

In an interview with Turkish newspaper Hürriyet, Lavrov said: “Turkish weapons are being used by Ukrainian armed forces to kill Russian military personnel and civilians.”

“This situation can only cause surprise, given the statements of the Turkish government that it is ready to offer mediation,” he said in the interview published on Friday.

Turkey has supplied Ukraine with Bayraktar TB2 drones, heavy machine guns, laser-guided missiles, electronic warfare systems, armored vehicles and protective equipment.

Turkey’s defense and aviation industry achieved record exports in 2023 that totaled $5.5 billion, up 27.1 percent from the previous year, according to a report by the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM). About 5.3% of these exports were to Ukraine, which was a similar share of exports to Azerbaijan (5.1%) and Poland (4.9%), but considerably less than the proportion that went to the US (16.7%), the report states.

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As part of the Military Framework Agreement between Turkey and Ukraine in October 2020, both countries agreed on the exchange of military information, cooperation between the armed forces and the defense industry, mutual education and training activities.

During Erdogan’s visit to Kiev on February 4, 2022 – before Russia’s full-scale invasion – the two countries signed dozens of other agreements, including a free trade agreement.

Speaking to Euronews Turkish, IYI Ankara Party MP Kürşad Zorlu said: “Turkey has a comprehensive and forward-looking cooperation in the defense industry with Ukraine. It is also known that some inputs for the Turkish defense industry are provided from Ukraine”.

“Turkey’s aim to ensure the sustainability of this is understandable,” said Zorlu, who is a member of the Turkish Grand National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee.

However, Ankara is also seeking to improve ties with Moscow and has increased cooperation on trade, tourism and energy since Russia’s large-scale invasion.

In recent months, Turkey has expressed its desire to join the BRICS economic union. Named after original members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, it expanded this year to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Erdogan met Putin on the sidelines of a BRICS summit last month in Kazan, Russia. The Russian president said his Turkish counterpart had again put forward proposals on Black Sea shipping and establishing a grain corridor, while Erdogan told reporters he wanted to start “peace talks between the two countries as soon as possible “.

Military observers say Russian forces have significantly stepped up their advances in Ukraine since September, highlighting Russia’s huge advantage in manpower and weaponry, while Kiev has demanded more aid and weapons from its Western allies.