Türkiye backs strong Ukraine but seeks compromise — Expert explains Erdoğan’s stance

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has long advocated for balanced relations between Russia and Ukraine, stated Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, a fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings and the director of The Turkey Project.
"Türkiye wants Ukraine to survive and come out as a strong and sustainable country with a Black Sea coast. It has long advocated negotiations to end the war and is not very sensitive about a territorial compromise, but it is very sensitive about Ukraine remaining a strong entity with a close relationship to the West and to Türkiye," Aydıntaşbaş said.
In her view, Erdoğan supports maintaining a balanced relationship between Russia and Ukraine, even despite disappointment from some of Türkiye’s Western partners.
"The Turkish understanding was that in the end there would have to be negotiations with some type of a territorial compromise for Ukraine on Donbass. The Turkish perception is that we're getting close to that moment. The sooner the war ends, the better it is for Ukraine and for the region," she said.
How will Türkiye influence the negotiations
The expert noted that Türkiye's mediation in the talks between Ukraine and Russia has similarities with the US approach to negotiations.
"I think it's very important to see at this moment that everyone is trying to be an honest broker. He's not going to pressure Ukraine, but he is being realistic about what the outcomes are. So in a sense, his role is very similar to the role the United States is playing," Aslı Aydıntaşbaş stated.
According to her, Türkiye is not ready for Ukraine to lose its geopolitical identity. After all, they understand that Ukrainians need a sovereign, strong, and independent choice about where they want to be. And for this, according to Türkiye, the war must end.
"So the conversation between President Erdoğan and President Zelenskyy is likely about the final outcome, the end game in all of this, but also about the modalities of the peace talks," Aydıntaşbaş emphasized.
Istanbul meeting
Over the weekend, Russian leader Vladimir Putin rejected the idea of a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine. Instead, he proposed holding negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul on May 15.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was ready for talks, but insisted that Putin must be present at the negotiations. So far, Russia has not confirmed who will represent it in Istanbul.
Zelenskyy held a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during which they discussed key details of the planned Ukraine-Russia meeting in Türkiye.
It is also known that Erdoğan spoke with Putin. During the conversation, he told Putin that his statement about resuming peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul from where they left off was welcomed and that Türkiye is ready to host negotiations that will lead to a final resolution.