Erdogan: Time to silence guns in Ukraine and seize peace opportunity

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took part in the 6th summit of the European Political Community, held in Tirana, the capital of Albania.

Speaking at the plenary session, Erdogan stressed the urgent need to establish a fair and inclusive architecture of global governance in order to overcome the crisis of trust on the international stage, Caliber.Az reports, citing TRT Haber.

Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan: Avrupa güvenliğinin geleceğini istişare ettiğimiz bu kritik dönemde Avrupa Birliği'nin kendi savunma sanayisini geliştirmesine yönelik gayretler faydalıdır. pic.twitter.com/1dioh0wPZK

— TRT Haber Canlı (@trthabercanli) May 16, 2025

“We, as the European continent, must first initiate this transformation at home—one that is built on the principles of indivisible security and a fairer distribution of prosperity. There are many areas where we have enormous potential for cooperation, such as the defence industry, energy, transport corridors and connectivity, supply chains, digital markets, and critical minerals,” Erdogan stated.

He also described the previous peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul as critically important for achieving a ceasefire and laying the groundwork for a lasting peace.

“We are at a critical stage in Ukraine, where it is necessary to silence the guns and create the foundations for peace,” he noted.

Erdogan said he had held separate discussions with the leaders of the United States, Russia, and Ukraine. He also mentioned that he had phone conversations with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron, initiated by them.

“For the first time since March 2022, there is a genuine opportunity to end the bloodshed. I urge my European colleagues to support keeping the dialogue channel between Russia and Ukraine open. Türkiye, for its part, will continue contributing to a peaceful resolution as much as possible,” Erdogan added.

By Tamilla Hasanova