Hopes for an end to the conflict in Ukraine increased with the victory of Donald Trump in the presidential elections in the USA, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in an interview with "Millet" newspaper, quoted by BTA.
"After Trump won the US election, hopes for an end to the Russian-Ukrainian war increased. We support the territorial integrity of Ukraine, which is evident from our position regarding Crimea," Fidan stressed.
He added that war brings no benefits to either side and only leads to more casualties, destruction and costs. "We are explaining this fact to our American and Western interlocutors and are paying attention to the need for negotiations between the parties," said the Turkish Foreign Minister.
Fidan recalled that Turkey, from the first day of the conflict, insisted on the priority of diplomacy. "We used all the possibilities of diplomacy to bring the parties to the negotiating table. At first we did this in Antalya and then in Istanbul. At the end of the technical negotiations in Istanbul, we were very close to peace," he noted.
Turkey, according to Fidan, remains ready to play the role of mediator in efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Regarding the relations between Turkey and the US, Fidan said that "the high-level dialogue based on the allied relations between the countries continues and develops regardless of who is in power" in the USA. He added that the strategic mechanism for solving the problems between Turkey and the US will continue to work.