Turkish president explains why he handed over Azovstal commanders to Ukraine despite Russia's stance
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan believes that the permission to take Azovstal defenders to Ukraine has finally "turned into a positive" in relations with Russia.
Source: Erdoğan at a press conference following the NATO summit in Vilnius, reported by European Pravda
Details: Erdoğan said that the agreement that the military commanders who defended the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol should remain in Türkiye was reached bilaterally between Ukraine and Russia. Türkiye provided them with asylum to fulfil the Russian-Ukrainian agreement.
"Initially it was the result of a discussion between Ukraine and Russia, and by Friday they were with us," he explained.
Erdoğan said he handed over the Azovstal defenders only because President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked him to. "When we received this request, we handed over these commanders," the Turkish president said.
However, he does not believe that this has affected relations with Russia. "At first, Russia was outraged, and then it turned into a positive thing," he said, predicting that the topic would be discussed at his meeting with Putin in September.
Background: Earlier, the Ukrainian ambassador told how Azovstal's defenders were brought home.
Five commanders from Azovstal were in Türkiye under personal guarantees of protection and security from President Erdoğan.
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