'Turkiye against every move that would target Ukraine's territorial integrity'

By Beyza Binnur Donmez and Mumin Altas

ANKARA (AA) - Ankara is against every move that would target Ukraine's territorial integrity, the Turkish president told his Ukrainian counterpart in a phone call on Tuesday.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed Russia's recent decision to recognize Ukraine's breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, which Turkiye has called "unacceptable."

Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Erdogan for backing Ukraine "on the latest provocative decisions" of Russia, he said on Twitter about the meeting.

He also thanked the Turkish leader for supporting the initiative to hold a summit of permanent members of the UN Security Council, with the participation of Ukraine, Turkiye, and Germany.

Putin announced the recognition in a speech Monday that also attacked Ukraine’s government and the US, and accused the West of ignoring Moscow's core security concerns.

The US, with its European allies, has said Russia is setting the stage to invade Ukraine after having amassed over 100,000 troops and heavy equipment in and around its neighbor.

Russia has denied it is preparing to invade and instead accuses Western countries of undermining its security through NATO’s expansion towards its borders.

In 2014, Moscow began to support separatist forces in eastern Ukraine against the central government, a policy that it has maintained for the past seven years. The conflict has taken more than 13,000 lives, according to the UN.