We may soon witness the end of the war between Ukraine and Russia. After 3 years of being on the world agenda, the word “end” for this critical phenomenon will probably please all sides. If you remember, the US and Russian delegations held a meeting in Riyadh to end the war. The critical meeting in Istanbul was preceded by a critical summit in Ankara between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. This summit was also preceded by an important visit in Ankara. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Turkish President Erdoğan. All these contacts had already signaled that Turkey would be a very strategic and important actor to end the war between Ukraine and Russia. President Erdogan stated that Turkey respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity, that Russia should leave the four annexed regions, especially Crimea, and that he would support US President Donald Trump’s position on the peace process. Following the latest meeting between the US and Russian delegation in Istanbul, which lasted almost six and a half hours, Turkey has now announced that it is preparing to make an incredible move as the war between Ukraine and Russia evolves towards a period of peace. President Erdoğan announced that Turkey may send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine. Yes, you have not heard wrong. The government in Ankara has shaken the Russian President where he least expected it. And now we are going to analyze this incredible step of Turkey in its entirety. We will explore the conditions under which Turkey will launch a peacekeeping mission, and what the reactions and approaches of Russia, the US and the EU might be.
Yes, recent reports indicate that Turkey is considering deploying troops to Ukraine as part of a potential peacekeeping mission. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed this possibility with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during separate meetings in Ankara earlier in February 2025.
Additionally, other nations such as Ireland and Switzerland are also reportedly considering contributing troops to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine. Notably, these countries are not members of NATO, which may influence Russia’s perception of such a mission.
However, some European leaders believe that discussions about deploying peacekeeping troops are premature. For instance, Romanian interim President Ilie Bolojan stated that such debates should occur only after a peace agreement is reached.
It’s important to note that while Turkey has expressed openness to this idea, no official decisions or deployments have been made as of now. The situation remains fluid, and any potential peacekeeping mission would require extensive international coordination and agreement.
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