Ukraine invites Türkiye to peace summit in Switzerland

Türkiye's role will be invaluable in the process of achieving peace and afterwards in Ukraine, the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, has said.

Stressing the unity of Kiev and Ankara in the "common future," Ruslan Stefanchuk on Wednesday said, "when a fair peace is achieved, when peace comes to Ukraine and when reconstruction begins, Türkiye will have the place that it desires."

Referring to the Ukraine Peace Summit scheduled to be held in Switzerland on June 15-16, Stefanchuk highlighted one of their purposes for coming to Türkiye: to invite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the summit.

Emphasising the necessity for peace to be fair and permanent, he said, "there is an aggressor and a victim in every war, and the victims have the right to decide what sort of peace there will be."

Saying that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's "peace formula" would be evaluated at the peace summit, Stefanchuk said that "with this common view, we will confront Russia."

Good ties between Kiev, Ankara

Praising the good relations between Ankara and Kiev, Stefanchuk described Türkiye as "both our historical friend and the historical leader of the region."

Stressing that his visit to Türkiye is "very important," he pointed out the importance of the visit in terms of the development of "cooperation between both peoples and states."

Stefanchuk said that the high-level diplomatic relations between the two countries were founded on the "sincere dialogue" between the Turkish and Ukrainian presidents.

He also cited the "close cooperation" between the parliaments of Türkiye and Ukraine, saying this contributes "to creating the excellent relationship between our countries."

'Correct political messages by Ankara'

Praising Türkiye's stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, Stefanchuk said it is always acknowledged in Ukraine.

Saying that Ankara's stance has been alongside his country since the beginning of the war, Stefanchuk expressed his satisfaction over Türkiye's assistance for Ukraine in various fields and dimensions, while emphasising Ankara's delivery of the "correct political messages."

He also highlighted the significance of Ankara's role in issues such as the Black Sea Grain Initiative and expressed gratitude towards the country.

Stefanchuk said the relationship between the two countries will continue to progress even after the war, noting that the Crimean Tatars are one of the points uniting Türkiye and Ukraine in the historical context.

Regarding the war, he said it began with the illegal annexation of Crimea and the "persecution" of the Crimean Tatars, highlighting that Türkiye and Ukraine share a common stance on the Crimean Tatar issue.