Defense Minister Hulusi Akar held a phone call with son American counterpart Lloyd Austin on Thursday to discuss the situation in Ukraine.
Akar and Austin also discussed bilateral relations and other regional relations defense and security issues, said the Turkish Ministry of National Defense on Twitter.
Turkey and the United States criticized Moscow’s decision decision launch a military intervention in Ukraine, which started early on Thursday with Russian forces targeting key areas of cities with weapons and missiles, according to reports.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said earlier in the day when Russia military intervention against son western neighbor was “against international law and a blow to peace, tranquility and stability of the region.”
Turkey rejects the “unacceptable” of Russia military transaction against Ukraine and reiterates son call for Moscow and Kyiv for resolve their problems through dialogue in line with the Minsk agreements, he said.
Donbass crisis and Russia invasion
The “Maidan Revolution” of February 2014 in Ukraine led to former President Viktor Yanukovych fleeing the country and a pro-Western government to come power.
This was followed by Russia illegally annexing Crimea region and separatists proclaiming independence in Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Donbass in eastern Ukraine, both of which have large ethnic Russian populations.
As clashes erupted between Russian-backed separatist forces and the Ukrainian military, the 2014 and 2015 Minsk agreements were signed in Moscow after the intervention of western powers.
The conflict, however, simmered for years with persistent stop-fire offences.
As of February 2022, some 14,000 people Was killed in the dispute in Eastern Ukraine.
Tensions began to rise late last year when Ukraine, the United States and their allies accused Russia of accumulate tens of thousands of troops on the border with Ukraine.
They claimed that Russia was preparing to invade son western neighbour, allegations that have been consistently dismissed by Moscow.
Defy threats of sanctions by the West, Moscow formally recognized Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states earlier this week, followed by start of a military transaction in Ukraine on Thusday.
President Vladimir Putin said the operation aims to protect people “subjected to genocide” by Kyiv and to “demilitarize and denazify” Ukraine, while calling on the Ukrainian army to pose down his arms.
