Türkiye says pointing fingers at Russia on suspected missile attack on Poland will escalate tensions

By Merve Aydogan

BALI, Indonesia (AA) - Türkiye's president on Wednesday voiced the need to respect Russia's statement on reports of a suspected missile attack on Poland and said pointing fingers at Russia would further escalate tensions.

Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the G-20 Bali Summit in Indonesia, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "I need to respect Russia's statement. In this regard, it is important for us (to mention) that Russia says, 'This has nothing to do with us'."

He said that pointing fingers at Russia after finding out that the missile is not Russian-made will further escalate tensions.

Erdogan’s remarks came after reports of a suspected missile attack on Poland that killed two people.

On the Istanbul grain deal, Erdogan said as soon as he returns from Bali, he will speak with his Russian counterpart about the extension of the grain deal by at least one year. “We will also discuss the transport of fertilizer and ammonia," he added.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement on July 22 in Istanbul to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which were paused after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February.

More than 10 million tons of grain have been exported from Ukraine since Aug. 1, according to the UN.