1660896192 How Turkish President Erdogan is trying to pose as the

How Turkish President Erdogan is trying to pose as the key arbiter of the war in Ukraine

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in Lviv, Ukraine, August 18, 2022. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy during their meeting in Lviv, Ukraine, August 18, 2022. HANDOUT / AFP

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who arrived in Lviv (Ukraine) from Poland on Thursday, August 18, was received by his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky at the entrance of the Potocki Palace, a 19th-century mansion where Talks have been going on between the lines to find a solution to the conflict that is ravaging Ukraine.

A firm handshake, friendly looks, the two bosses appreciate each other, you can tell. Mr Zelensky warmly thanked Mr Erdogan for his visit, the first since the war began, which he described as a “strong message of support” to his country.

Also read: War in Ukraine live: For the UN, any damage to the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia would be a “suicide”

After a 45-minute conversation, the two Presidents were joined by United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Together they discussed the necessary intensification of Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea, the fate of prisoners of war and, above all, the alarming situation in the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant occupied by the Russian army, for which the Kremlin was instrumentalized for the needs of its offensive.

In recent days, fierce fighting around and on the factory premises has fueled fears of a catastrophe. “We will not experience another Chernobyl again,” Mr Erdogan warned in reference to the most important civilian nuclear accident in Europe, which occurred after the explosion of reactor No. 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986, not far from Kyiv .

Bring warring parties back to the negotiating table

The UN must ensure “the security of this strategic location, its demilitarization and its complete liberation from Russian troops,” Zelensky said, deploring the “deliberate terror” Moscow inflicted on Ukraine, the wider region and the rest of the world.

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At the end of their talks, the President of Ukraine and Mr. Guterres agreed on an upcoming International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission to the Zaporiya power plant. According to Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi is ready to visit the site, which everyone agrees needs to be demilitarized. It is not certain that Russia will agree to this.

Only Recep Tayyip Erdogan has the answer to this question. Engaged in a difficult exercise in diplomatic balance, he supports Kyiv without angering Moscow. He is currently the only leader who has listened to Russian President Vladimir Putin since his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gave up their ear trying to reason with him. In recent weeks, Mr. Putin and Mr. Erdogan have seen each other twice, once in Tehran and then on August 5 in Sochi on the Black Sea shore. Nothing has been filtered out of the four hours of conversation they had in the Russian coastal city. The only certainty is that the Turkish president is best placed to persuade the Kremlin ruler to negotiate.

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