Russia says grateful to Turkish president for peace initiative on Ukraine

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia is grateful to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his peace initiative on Ukraine, Foreign MInistry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Zakharova said the call for peace is important in time of "endless aggressive statements of the collective West" pushing for further escalation.

"We are grateful to everyone who speaks out in favor of resolving the situation, in favor of peace, in favor of the negotiation process and offers their mediation efforts. ... This applies equally to the initiative of the Turkish side and personally of the Turkish president, Mr. (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan," she emphasized.

According to the spokeswoman, many countries understand "what the collective West is pushing the whole planet for," which motivates them for active peace efforts.

"We are grateful to everyone, regardless of how realistic the proposal or program is, this is a very important message about moving towards peace, at time of endless aggressive statements by the collective West, which push for escalation, continued arms supplies, and sponsorship of terrorist activities," she said.

On March 9, speaking at a news conference following a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Istanbul, Erdogan said Türkiye would be ready to organize a peace summit with the participation of Moscow and Kyiv.

Türkiye has time and again called on Kyiv and Moscow to end the fighting that began in February 2022 through negotiations. The efforts have been fruitful, such as the landmark grain deal in July 2022, and the exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine.