ANKARA, February 24. /TASS/. Turkey backs Ukraine's fight to defend its territorial integrity, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday during his speech in Ankara.

"Turkey supports Ukraine's struggle to defend its territorial integrity, and I said so today in a conversation with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. Turkey has repeatedly called on Russia and Ukraine to resolve all contradictions through dialogue within the framework of the Minsk accords. Turkey is ready to make the necessary efforts to ensure the safety of Turkish citizens, Crimean Tatars, and all those living in Ukraine," he said.

According to Erdogan, Turkey "rejects and considers a military operation against Ukraine unacceptable."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on Thursday morning that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories.

Russia’s Defense Ministry reported later on Thursday that Russian troops were not delivering strikes against Ukrainian cities. It emphasized that Ukrainian military infrastructure was being destroyed by precision weapons.