Certain Western powers appear hell-bent on turning the Ukraine conflict into an all-out world war, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said. He added that he hoped peace would prevail in spite of this.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently made a number of proposals aimed at ending hostilities in Ukraine, insisting that Moscow has always been open to dialogue. However, these proposals have been rejected by Ukraine and its Western backers as unrealistic and insincere.
Speaking to reporters on board the presidential jet as he returned from a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana, Kazakhstan on Friday, Erdogan lamented that “unfortunately, there are countries and elements in the West that espouse an approach which paves the way for World War III.”
He blamed arms manufacturers for pushing their own agendas as Western powers continue to funnel military aid to Ukraine. “It is obvious that arms dealers need money. And the market for arms dealers is the West,” Erdogan said.
The Turkish head of state said that, in contrast, Russia has been promoting dialogue and a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict. He said Ankara was keeping its finger on the pulse in relation to the conflict, and he hopes that Kiev and Moscow will seal a peace agreement soon.
Hellbound and Down 