Turkish, Ukrainian presidents discuss Türkiye quakes, Ukraine war

By Faruk Zorlu

ADANA, Türkiye (AA) - In a phone call on Friday, the Turkish and Ukrainian presidents discussed the recent powerful earthquakes in Türkiye and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war which marks the first anniversary.

According to the Turkish presidency, Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy for "showing solidarity with Türkiye" in the wake of the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 tremors which struck southern Türkiye on Feb. 6.

Erdogan also voiced his readiness to contribute "in any way they can to build a cease-fire and negotiated solution, and shape peace in the one-year-old Russia-Ukraine war."

On Feb. 24, 2022, in an attack that Ukrainian authorities later said they already knew was inevitable at least a few days in advance, Russian forces crossed into Ukraine from the north, south, and east of the country.

Over 8,000 civilians have been killed and nearly 13,300 others injured since what Russia started what it called "a special military operation" in Ukraine, according to the latest UN figures.