By Diyar Guldogan
ANKARA (AA) - The Russia-Ukraine war is currently at a stalemate and Türkiye will continue its efforts to stop the fighting, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin has said.
"...this war has turned into a stalemate right now and as we see it neither side is in a position to have a decisive victory on the battlefield but we will continue to work for a cease-fire in the battlefield areas," Kalin told CNN international on Friday.
Kalin's remarks came a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held phone calls with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Putin called on Thursday for a 36-hour cease-fire in Ukraine to mark Orthodox Christmas, a move rejected by Zelenskyy who accused Russia of wanting to use it as a "cover" to stop Ukrainian advances.
Hoping that the cease-fire could lead to dialogue, Kalin said: "...we are adamant to continue to make this call but realistically speaking the facts on the ground are such that neither side seems to be willing to lay down their arms and come to the negotiating table at this point and we are concerned that in the next few months we will see more escalation of fighting in Ukraine."
The efforts should be ramped up to try to bring the parties to the negotiating table, the Turkish official added.
"We have to stop the bleeding first ... what we are trying to create is an environment in which you know the two sides can come together and if there is a ground for the leaders to come together with all the negotiating terms of course on the table understandably...," he said.
Türkiye has been internationally praised for its unique mediatory role between Ukraine and Russia. Its efforts led to the historic Black Sea grain deal, resuming food exports from Ukrainian ports that had been paused since the war began last February.
Erdogan has repeatedly stressed his wish to bring Putin and Zelenskyy together in Türkiye for formal discussions to end the conflict.
Kalin said if the war continues as it is, 2023 would be more difficult for the world, especially in terms of energy and food security.
"We really have to take a more realistic long-term perspective here and give our full effort to create conditions in which the two sides can come together and stop the fighting," he added.