EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has praised Turkey for its efforts to mediate between Russia and Ukraine to stop the ongoing Russian invasion of the country, which began on Feb. 24, according to the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.
Borrell said in an exclusive interview with the daily published on Tuesday that Turkey is doing a very good job on mediation between Ukraine and Russia and also has good relations with both of them. He said, however, that it would have been best if the United Nations had assumed the mediation role.
According to Borrell, it is impossible for the EU to act as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia because the Russians would never accept it, just as the EU would not accept a Russian mediation role under similar circumstances.
NATO member Turkey, which has friendly ties with both Russia and Ukraine, has been mediating for an end the ongoing war. Turkey has so far held two rounds of peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, in the southern province of Antalya in March and in İstanbul in April.
Turkey has also declined to participate in imposing Western sanctions on Russia and welcomes Russian oligarchs who face sanctions from Western countries.