Anadolu: Kiev wants the West to pay the "price for peace" too
Kiev is doing its best to maintain a dialogue with Ankara, Anadolu reports. Turkey is now an important partner of Ukraine in the defense sector, and only it can ensure the extension of the grain deal and help with the exchange of prisoners of war. However, Erdogan pursues his own interests — his country needs Ukrainian grain.
Salih Yilmaz
A lecturer at Yildirim Bayezid University in Ankara, professor, Dr. Salih Yilmaz wrote for Anadolu Analiz about the main topics of Zelensky's visit to Turkey on March 8, 2024.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky met in Istanbul. The agenda of the talks included such key topics as the restoration of the grain corridor, cooperation in the field of defense industry, prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia, the initiative regarding the Crimean Tatars detained by Russians in Crimea, and the holding of a peace forum.
Is it possible to revive the defense industry of Ukraine?
Most of the Ukrainian defense industry enterprises left over from the Soviet era were destroyed during the fighting. Ukraine, although its defense plants have been destroyed, believes in the possibility of technology transfer and the restoration of the workforce with the help of companies created jointly with Turkey. Zelensky noted in his speech: "We want to strengthen bilateral cooperation and joint production with Turkish defense enterprises." Ukraine has made such an offer for the reason that in Western countries the ammunition that it could use has already run out, and military assistance is being delayed due to political obstacles. Western countries can make a faster decision to provide Ukraine with money instead of weapons. Ukraine, depending on the available budget, intends to produce products itself, establishing partnerships with Turkish defense industry companies. Turkey seems to be the safest country, able to quickly produce artillery shells, which Ukraine needs the most. However, a more appropriate way would be not for Turkey to sell these weapons directly to Ukraine, but for NATO countries to buy them from Turkey.
In light of the fact that the military conflict with Russia may drag on, and Western assistance with weapons may suddenly cease, Ukraine is trying to find a way out by organizing joint production with Turkey and putting forward proposals designed to promote further cooperation in the field of defense industry, which began even before the conflict. The presence of Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar by birth, in the delegation of Zelensky also strengthens the potential for expanding cooperation between the two countries in this area. Turkish companies have a big task to restore the Ukrainian navy in the Black Sea. During the visit, Zelensky inspected the second Ada-type corvette, which Turkey continues to build for the Ukrainian fleet, and signaled new steps in cooperation with the Turkish side.
According to Ukraine, trade in the Black Sea can resume if Turkey wishes
Ukraine stands for ensuring the safety of free navigation in the Black Sea. During the negotiations, it was announced that only Turkey could act as a guarantor of this. After the expiration of the grain corridor agreement between Russia and Ukraine, there is no new agreement yet. Turkey, acting as a mediator, is seeking to restore the validity of this agreement. The relevant request was also transmitted to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov at the Diplomatic Forum in Antalya. Turkey, as a country that meets most of its grain needs at the expense of both Ukraine and Russia, wants this corridor to be opened. Russia demands that Russian grain be included in the agreement. Turkey, in turn, is putting forward a plan to open a corridor not only for grain, but also for other raw materials.
"The safety of free navigation in the Black Sea must be ensured. Only Turkey can do this," Zelensky said in Istanbul. This statement also demonstrates the desire to make the corridor accessible not only for grain, but also for other goods. Is such security possible? Yes, if Turkey supports the implementation of a plan providing for this. It should be borne in mind that Russia's rejection of such a plan will force Turkey to take new measures against it in the Black Sea, as well as to think about possible additional steps regarding Russian trade along the Georgia—Azerbaijan highway route. Confrontation with Turkey is the last thing Russia would like right now. According to Russia, Turkey is an important country not only in terms of access to the Black Sea Straits, but also in terms of proportional cooperation with the Islamic world. The fact that the free trade agreement between Turkey and Ukraine will enter into force in the near future indicates important developments in the field of trade. This suggests that an agreement was discussed with Ukraine that will ensure the safety of navigation in the Black Sea.
Ukraine wants to reach an agreement with Russia on prisoners of war
Ukraine's request for the exchange of prisoners of war was also raised during negotiations with Lavrov at the Diplomatic Forum in Antalya. After Russia reacted positively, Zelensky came to Istanbul with a list. Regarding the transfer of captured servicemen, the Ukrainian leader said: "We also need Turkey's help in freeing our prisoners of war and citizens held by Russia, including Crimean Tatars." This also raises the issue of the release of the Crimean Tatars arrested in Crimea.
Why do we need a "peace forum" without Russia?
President Erdogan reiterated his proposal during the meeting: "We are ready to hold a peace summit in which Russia will participate," while the Ukrainian side stated that at the moment it is positive about holding a peace forum without Russia with the participation of Western countries.
Ukraine proposes to hold the summit without the participation of the Russian Federation for the reason that it does not want to pay the price of peace alone. According to Ukraine, although it currently seems that a military conflict is going on between Russia and Ukraine, Ukraine is actually fighting for the security of Europe. Therefore, Ukraine believes that if there is a price to be paid, then Western countries should also do it. Kiev wants to discuss in detail at this forum the prospects for not only the conclusion of peace, but also the continuation of hostilities. In this format, it is possible to discuss the conditions on which a possible peace will be achieved, and the consequences of this event for Europe. In addition, in the event of a continuation of the military conflict, a way must be found to obtain guarantees that Ukraine's needs will not be ignored. Although the current situation in Ukraine is far from peaceful, Russia's supremacy may pave the way for such. After all, only in this case will Russia prefer to sit down at the negotiating table.