Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in New York for the U.N. General Assembly, said although the war in Ukraine "is going to last a long time," he said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin wants a quick resolution.
In an interview with "PBS Newshour" on Monday, Erdogan, who has tried to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia, was asked if Putin believes he is winning the war.
"I can't say. We didn't talk about this," Erdogan, who met with Putin in Russia on Sept. 4, said through an interpreter. "But I need to be very clear and very frank. It's quite obvious that this war is going to last a long time. And for the war to end as soon as possible, we would like to be very hopeful. And Mr. Putin is actually on the side of ending this war as soon as possible."
Erdogan was then asked, "What leads you to believe he would like to end the war? Nothing we have seen on the battlefield indicates that."
"I'm just taking into account the words of the leader," Erdogan said, "and Mr. Putin is on the side of ending this war as soon as possible. That's what he said. And I believe his remarks."
Turkey has supplied Ukraine with unmanned aerial vehicles as well as other military aid but has maintained economic ties with Russia, which supplies about half of Turkey's natural gas needs, according to Erdogan.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.