On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine to sign a new deal expanding the production of Turkey’s Bayraktar TB2 military drone in Ukraine and hence, consolidate the growing bilateral ties between Ankara and Kyiv. The announcement further complicates the ongoing military tensions between Russia and Ukraine over Moscow’s troop build-up along the Ukrainian border.
Speaking to reporters before his meeting with Zelensky, the Turkish leader commended the growing economic ties between the two Black Sea countries in various industries such as trade, tourism and defence, noting that bilateral trade increased by 60% amounting to $7.5 billion with plans to reach the $10 billion target despite the pandemic.
In a joint press conference with Zelensky, Erdoğan said, “We continue to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, including Crimea.” Erdoğan stressed that the best way to resolve tensions between Moscow and Kyiv would be through dialogue, even offering to host a summit between Russia and Ukraine, saying, “Turkey acts with a perspective as to how we can defuse tension instead of fuelling it.”
Moreover, Erdoğan highlighted the importance of Turkey’s Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine that closely keeps an eye on the conflict in Donbas. Additionally, Erdoğan also extended support to Crimean Tatars, an ethnic Turkish minority indigenous to the region of Crimea.
In return, Zelensky welcomed Erdoğan’s remarks expressing his administration’s pride over the increasing success of infrastructure projects carried out by Turkish companies in Ukraine, adding that he expects them to become more active. He confirmed the signing of a new agreement with Erdoğan and said that it significantly increases the production of Turkey’s Bayraktar TB2 military.
“These are new technologies, new jobs, strengthening Ukraine’s defence capabilities,” he added. He also appreciated Erdoğan’s offer to host a security summit between Kyiv and Moscow, saying, “For peace in Ukraine, we are ready to do everything possible on all platforms, in all formats.”
The United States (US) Department of State spokesperson Ned Price said the drone deal between North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) ally Turkey and Ukraine is beneficial for regional stability and boosts Kyiv’s ability to further deter Moscow’s aggressive military behaviour. Turkey’s drone program has been at the centre of Erdoğan’s efforts to make Ankara more self-sustainable in the field of defence. Under him, Turkey has successfully increased its drone production while also striking a deal with NATO member Poland.
Last year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticised Ukraine for using the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drone in retaliation to attacks by Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas region. Moreover, Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet with Erdoğan after his ongoing visit to the Beijing Winter Olympics in China.