ANKARA, November 11. /TASS/. Hopes of ending the conflict in Ukraine have increased with Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said.
"After Trump won the US elections, hopes of ending the Russian-Ukrainian war have grown. We support the territorial integrity of Ukraine, and our position on Crimea reflects this. However, we do not see this war as beneficial for either side. It only leads to great human losses, destruction, and expenses. We emphasize this to our American and Western interlocutors and stress the need for negotiations between the sides," Fidan told Milliyet newspaper.
From the first day of the conflict, Turkey has insisted that diplomacy should be a priority, the minister recalled. "We have used all means of diplomacy to bring the parties to the negotiating table. In the first days of the war, we did this in Antalya, then in Istanbul. Following the technical talks in Istanbul, we were very close to peace," Fidan noted.
He also reiterated that "Turkey is ready to mediate efforts to achieve a fair and lasting peace within the formats and parameters acceptable to both sides."
Referring to Turkish-US relations, Fidan said that "the countries continue and enhance their high-level allied dialogue regardless of who is in power" in the United States. The "strategic mechanism aimed at solving problems between Turkey and the US" will also continue to work, and Ankara expects the countries to "resolve issues jointly, constructively, and comprehensively," which Fidan thinks "the new US administration is ready for."