Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday that the war in Ukraine “does not seem to end easily,” AFP reported.

War in Ukraine – Ukrainian troops fire from 2C3 Acacia self-propelled guns.Photo: Justin Yau / ddp USA / Profimedia Images

“It would not be wrong to say that despite all our good will and calls for a ceasefire, the war is likely to continue in 2023,” said Akar, whose NATO member country has positioned itself as a neutral and mediator in the conflict between the two neighbors from the Black Sea.

“It seems that this war will not end easily,” he admitted at a press briefing in Ankara, referring to the West’s aid to Kyiv and Moscow’s determination.

Turkey helped reach an agreement with the United Nations to export Ukrainian grain from Ukrainian ports, arranged a meeting between Russian and Ukrainian diplomats at the start of the war in March, and organized talks between the two sides in Istanbul.

“We demand a ceasefire, at least a humanitarian one. Then a permanent ceasefire and then peace talks,” Akar said. (Source Agerpres)

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