Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated on Friday that he intends to discuss the peace process in Ukraine with US President Donald Trump during a phone call on Monday, and also indicated that he is in contact with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, UNN reports with reference to Daily Sabah.
"I will discuss the peace process in Ukraine, as well as the Palestinian issue, with Mr. Trump during a phone call on Monday evening," he said.
Erdoğan said he "is in contact with Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European leaders on this issue," and stated that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will represent him at the "summit of the willing" in Paris this week.
With good diplomatic ties to both Moscow and Kyiv, Turkey is one of the main international players seeking to end the war, the publication notes.
Erdoğan also condemned Israel's continued blockade of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians live in tents and temporary shelters due to a severe shortage of safe housing after Israel's two-year war destroyed entire residential areas and led to mass displacement, the publication writes.
"The suffering of children in Gaza, living in makeshift tents in wind and rain, will not go unanswered, will not go unnoticed by Netanyahu," said Erdoğan, who has been a fierce critic of the Israeli prime minister since the beginning of the war in Gaza.
He said that Turkey wants to send containers with vital aid to Gaza, but "Israel does not allow us."
"We are, nevertheless, determined to help the Palestinians overcome their difficulties," Erdoğan added.