Turkish Foreign Minister says Europe should back Ukraine in making critical choices
Hakan Fidan (Photo: Getty Images)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that Europe needs to help Ukraine make a difficult choice, particularly regarding territorial issues, according to CNN Turk.
“Europe needs to help Ukraine make a certain difficult choice… To prevent heavy losses, that is, for the greater good, it is necessary to avert a catastrophe here, to eradicate evil… Therefore, a choice must be made. I know this is hard for them. The territorial issue, in particular, is incredibly difficult. May God prevent anyone from having to endure something like this,” Fidan said.
He added that there are also demands regarding security guarantees, which are not easy either. According to him, Türkiye continues to facilitate negotiations between the two sides.
The head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry also noted that Istanbul is ready to host negotiations again; as a reminder, three rounds of talks took place there over the summer.
According to Fidan, the progress achieved in those talks regarding prisoner exchanges and other humanitarian issues laid the foundation for today’s negotiations. At the same time, he warned that the war had already spread to the Black Sea and could extend to other parts of Europe, urging the parties to end the war immediately.
“This also laid the foundation for today’s negotiations. We are ready to play this positive role. Look, the Black Sea has now become an extension of the combat zone. The war has spread to the Black Sea. Currently, they are attacking commercial ships and tankers in the Black Sea. Therefore, if the war continues, it will spread to other locations, to other parts of Europe. God forbid, this must stop here and now,” Fidan concluded.
US peace plan
Since coming to power, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly attempted to launch a peace process regarding Ukraine. In Türkiye, as mentioned earlier, some progress was made, but it did not lead to the end of the war.
One of the latest US efforts to halt hostilities was a new peace plan. It initially consisted of 28 points but was significantly revised compared to the original version.
Currently, the document has been reduced to 20 points, and the US, Ukraine, and Europe are discussing three key initiatives: a framework document, a security guarantees agreement, and a document outlining the principles of post-war reconstruction.
One of the most difficult issues is the matter of territories. Ukraine and the US have not yet reached a consensus, as Washington is demanding that Kyiv make concessions in Donbas, which the Ukrainian side rejects.
At the same time, the issue of security guarantees is gradually progressing. Just yesterday, December 11, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine had received a draft from the US regarding security guarantees, which will continue to be worked on.
US President Donald Trump said last night that he is ready to assist with security guarantees, as they are necessary for reaching an agreement. However, how and in what format this assistance would take place remains unclear. He also said that Zelenskyy is the only one who does not like the US peace plan.
