Türkiye key to Ukraine peace breakthrough, says NATO chief

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has underlined Türkiye’s significant role in international efforts to bring about a resolution to the war in Ukraine, ahead of upcoming peace negotiations expected to be held in Istanbul.

“There is a real window of opportunity to bring the Ukraine issue to a better place, and Türkiye plays a major role here,” Caliber.Az quotes Rutte as saying per Turkish media.

Citing recent diplomatic momentum, including a May 10 virtual meeting of the Ukraine-focused “Coalition of the Willing” which involved Türkiye, Rutte noted progress in talks between Ukraine and Russia over the past few weeks.

On the sidelines of an informal meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Antalya, Rutte also credited US President Donald Trump for disrupting the long-standing impasse between the two sides. “Step by step, we must bring Ukraine to a place where lasting peace is possible,” he said.

Commenting on the upcoming Istanbul peace talks, Rutte said it was difficult to predict developments in the next 24 to 48 hours but stressed that he remained in close contact with all key actors.

Looking ahead, Rutte said the coming 10 to 15 days presented crucial opportunities under the leadership of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He also emphasised the roles of both the US government and Türkiye in facilitating the talks.

Describing his meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as “excellent”, Rutte said Erdoğan is widely respected among NATO colleagues and plays a “tremendous” role within the Alliance. “President Erdoğan is an incredible leader within NATO,” he added.

The two leaders discussed a range of issues, including defence spending, the defence industry, and the Ukraine conflict.

Rutte highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperation between the EU and European NATO members outside the bloc, such as Türkiye, Norway, and the UK. “I encourage the EU to work as closely as possible with Türkiye, Norway, the UK, and others so that initiatives can be extended beyond just the EU,” he said.

The NATO chief expressed optimism over the ongoing EU–Türkiye dialogue, noting that the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas had chosen Türkiye for one of her first visits, and that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen maintained close ties with Erdoğan.

On Türkiye’s defence industry, Rutte said it was vital for the Alliance and cited collaboration with Turkish companies in the US munitions sector as one example of essential cooperation. “The Turkish defence sector is very advanced. We need to expand this across the Alliance because the Russians are rebuilding rapidly,” he warned.

He noted that while NATO collectively is 25 times stronger than Russia economically, Moscow’s defence production had drastically accelerated, with output that once took a year now achieved in three months.

Addressing questions on a potential Eurofighter sale to Türkiye, Rutte welcomed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s constructive approach. “I encourage allies not to impose restrictions on defence sales to one another. That shouldn’t happen within the Alliance,” he said.

Turning to the recent announcement by the PKK that it would disband and lay down arms, Rutte called the development “very, very significant”.

“Türkiye is one of NATO's allies most affected by terrorist attacks – we must not forget that,” he said, adding that NATO remained committed to supporting Türkiye and other members in the fight against terrorism.

By Aghakazim Guliyev