Türkiye to continue efforts for ‘just, lasting solution’ to Ukraine war

Türkiye will continue its efforts for a “just and lasting solution” based on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Foreign Ministry has said.

“Türkiye’s efforts for a just and lasting solution based on Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity will continue,” said the ministry on Saturday on the second anniversary of the Ukraine-Russia war.

“As the war in Ukraine leaves its second year behind, the devastating impact of the conflict on Ukraine is growing, and its negative regional and global consequences are deepening,” the statement added.

“The conditions conducive to revitalization of the diplomatic process will eventually emerge. With this understanding, we offer constructive input to both sides,” the statement added.

Türkiye, internationally praised for its unique mediator role between Ukraine and Russia, has time and again called on Kiev and Moscow to end the fighting through negotiations.

Two years of war

Two years on, the casualty count from Russia's war on Ukraine numbers in the tens of thousands, while many more lives have been uprooted and entire cities left in shambles.

The material damage caused by the war, which Moscow launched on February 24, 2022 as a "special military operation," is estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars.

According to a recent report from the International Rescue Committee (IRC), some 14.6 million Ukrainians are estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance as of this year, including the 3.7 million internally displaced.

The report showed that over 4,000 attacks on education facilities and over 1,300 attacks on healthcare have been recorded since February 2022, while over 1.5 million homes have been destroyed.

The UN also forecasted in December that the total cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine is now at around $486 billion, up from the previous estimation in 2022 at $411 billion.