Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on the plane upon his return from Sochi, where he had held talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin the day before, that there were no prospects on the horizon for peace is not visible in Ukraine.
Recall that yesterday at a press conference, Erdogan announced Ankara's readiness to become a mediator in negotiations on the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.
"From the very first day, we have always spoken for peace, dialogue and diplomacy,” Erdogan said, noting that Turkey made “great efforts to prevent further bloodshed.” and tried not to exacerbate the problems and not add fuel to the fire.
«We tried to ensure that both sides met,» he continued, stressing that the conflict had been going on for 1.5 years and «no there are no prospects for peace on the horizon.»
Erdogan confirmed that Turkey is still ready to contribute if the parties express their desire and continue to play the role of an intermediary in the exchange of prisoners and on the issue of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
The Turkish leader expressed the hope that the conflict would end as soon as possible with «a just and lasting peace based on international law.»