'Ukraine grateful for Turkiye’s political, military support': Kyiv mayor

By Davit Kachkachishvili

KYIV, Ukraine (AA) - Ukraine is grateful for Turkiye’s political and military support as Russia launched a war on Ukraine, the mayor of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv said Friday.

“We are very grateful to Turkiye for its support in the political and military fields. This is very important. We see who is the true friend of Ukraine in these difficult times,” Vitali Klitschko told Anadolu Agency.

Emphasizing that his country aims to maintain peace, Klitschko thanked everyone who supported the restoration of peace in Ukraine.

"I would like to thank all countries, including European and neighboring countries, for their positive approach towards Ukraine and supporting peace,” he said.

International aid is extremely important for Ukraine in this period, he said, noting that they need humanitarian, medical, military, and political assistance.

"We defend not only our own families, homes, and our country, but also the principles supported by all democratic countries.

"Maintaining stability in the region depends on the sustainable political and economic situation in Ukraine,” he added.

Regarding the Russian attack on the capital, he said there has been no attack on Kyiv in recent weeks, but the danger remains.

“Russia has quite a lot of missiles, and the possibility of missile attacks and bombardments against the capital Kyiv was not completely excluded, according to a statement by Russian soldiers yesterday,” he said.

"The situation in Kyiv is somewhat calm, but this does not mean that war activities will not be repeated at any moment,” he said, adding that serious clashes continue in eastern Ukraine.

Advising the residents of Kyiv not to rush to return to the capital, he said they cannot provide 100% security for now due to the military attacks of Russia.

At least 1,964 civilians have been killed and 2,613 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates, with the true figure believed to be much higher.

More than 4.73 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with over 7 million more internally displaced, shows the latest data by the UN refugee agency.

* Writing by Gozde Bayar in Ankara.