Türkiye’s role will be ‘invaluable’ in achieving peace: Head of Ukrainian parliament

By Gokhan Celiker

ANKARA (AA) - Türkiye’s role will be “invaluable in the process of achieving peace and afterwards” in Ukraine, the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, said Wednesday.

Stressing the unity of Kyiv and Ankara in the “common future,” Ruslan Stefanchuk told Anadolu in an exclusive interview that when a “fair peace is achieved, when peace comes to Ukraine and when reconstruction begins,” Türkiye will have the place that “it desires.”

Referring to the Ukraine Peace Summit scheduled to be held in Switzerland on June 15-16, Stefanchuk highlighted one of their purposes for coming to Türkiye, which was to invite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the summit.

Emphasizing the necessity for peace to be “fair and permanent,” he said there is “an aggressor and a victim” in every war, and the victims have the right to decide “what sort of peace there will be.”

Saying that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “peace formula” would be evaluated at the peace summit, Stefanchuk said that “with this common view, we will confront Russia."

- Good ties between Kyiv, Ankara

Highlighting the good relations between Türkiye and Ukraine, Stefanchuk described Türkiye as “both our historical friend and the historical leader of the region."

Stressing that his visit to Türkiye is “very important,” he pointed out the importance of the visit in terms of the development of “cooperation between both peoples and states.”

Stefanchuk pointed to the "high-level" diplomatic relations between the two countries, saying they were founded on the "sincere dialogue" between the Turkish and Ukrainian presidents.

He also cited the "close cooperation" between the parliaments of Türkiye and Ukraine, saying this contributes “to creating the excellent relationship between our countries."

Praising Türkiye’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, Stefanchuk said it is always acknowledged in Ukraine.

Stefanchuk, saying that Ankara’s stance has been alongside his country from the beginning of the war, pointed out that Türkiye has provided assistance to Ukraine in various fields and dimensions while emphasizing Ankara’s delivery of the "correct political messages."

Stefanchuk stressed that Türkiye has always provided clear support for Ukraine's "territorial integrity and sovereignty," particularly during the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia and throughout the Russia-Ukraine War, noting that this support is highly valued by his country.

He also highlighted the significance of Ankara’s role in issues such as the Black Sea Grain Initiative and expressed gratitude towards the country.

Stefanchuk said the relationship between the two countries will continue to progress even after the war, noting that one of the points uniting Türkiye and Ukraine in the historical context is the Crimean Tatars.

Regarding the war, he said it began with the illegal annexation of Crimea and the "persecution" of the Crimean Tatars, highlighting that Türkiye and Ukraine share a common stance on the Crimean Tatar issue.

*Writing by Esra Tekin in Istanbul