Erdoğan opposes Ukraine's use of US long range missiles
Turkish President Erdoğan has expressed opposition to the United States' decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles to target inside Russia, warning that this move could escalate the conflict.
Reuters
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan opposed a United States (U.S.) decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles to attack inside Russia, saying it would further enflame the conflict, according to a readout shared by his office on Wednesday.
Ukraine used U.S. ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory on Nov. 19, taking advantage of newly granted permission from the outgoing administration of U.S. President Joe Biden on the 1,000th day of the war in Ukraine.
On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a policy document that lowers the threshold for Moscow to use nuclear weapons in response to attacks by an enemy using conventional weapons.
"Biden's step would be interpreted as a move to enflame the war and to ensure that it never ends but spreads," Erdoğan told reporters on his flight back to Turkey from Brazil, where he attended the G20 Summit.
"This step will not only escalate the conflict, but will also lead to a greater response by Russia," he said, urging both Moscow and Kyiv to exercise restraint.
NATO member Turkey says it supports Ukraine's territorial integrity, it has condemned the Russian invasion, and has provided Kyiv with military support.
But Turkey, a Black Sea neighbor of both Russia and Ukraine, also opposes Western sanctions against Moscow, with which it shares important defense, energy and tourism ties.