Ankara / Kyiv — Turkey is prepared to send troops to Ukraine as part of a multinational peacekeeping mission once a formal agreement ends the war, Ukraine’s ambassador to Ankara Nariman Dzhelyal told CNN Türk.
Dzhelyal said Ankara, alongside France and the United Kingdom, would be among Kyiv’s key security guarantors. “Russia is not ready for this process, and any breakthrough is only possible under strict U.S. sanctions,” he stressed.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has already confirmed talks with Turkey on Black Sea demining operations, while Turkish companies are engaged in reconstruction projects across Ukraine. Ankara has also provided humanitarian support and played mediator, hosting renewed Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul earlier this year.
The concept of Western peacekeepers has gained traction since spring 2025, with proposals ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 troops — primarily from Britain, France, and Germany. Bloomberg reported in August that Turkey was among roughly ten countries signaling readiness to contribute.
Moscow, however, has drawn a red line. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated that any arrangement involving foreign troops in Ukraine is unacceptable. Russia, he said, is only willing to discuss guarantees “under previously agreed conditions,” without NATO or other outside forces on Ukrainian soil.
