RUSSIA SAYS ARMS SUPPLY BY TURKEY TO UKRAINE IS A PROVOCATION

Turkey and Ukraine inked eight deals including a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Kyiv. “The FTA will enable us to reach our bilateral trade goal of USD 10bn quicker than expected,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. President Erdogan said Turkey is ready to do its part to end the crisis between Russia and Ukraine. The parties also discussed cooperation in the aviation and defense industries. “With the cooperation deal we signed, production of BAYKAR Makine’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicles will be expanded in Ukraine,” Zelenskiy noted. However, ‘filling’ Ukraine with arms under current conditions is a provocation, an element of agitation, and Ankara doesn’t grasp it, according to Russian Senator and Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Andrei Klimov. Speaking to the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, Klimov said Ankara is trying to resolve financial problems and promote its arms. “Armed conflicts can start either spontaneously or with the involvement of provocateurs,” Klimov added.