New York Times hails Erdogan's peace efforts in Russia-Ukraine conflict

By Dildar Baykan Atalay

NEW YORK (AA) - The New York Times newspaper carried a photo of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in its Wednesday edition, hailing his peace efforts amid the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Erdogan, who was pictured holding a photograph of the first ship that carried grain exported from Ukraine under a Türkiye-brokered deal, was addressing the UN General Assembly.

The article said Erdogan played a central role in the grain talks.

The article dubbed Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron the most prominent speakers among those who gave their annual speeches at the international body and commented on their efforts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

The article said Erdogan and Macron were the "most closely watched speakers" on Tuesday.

It also touched on a meeting between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin last week in Uzbekistan, stating that Erdogan called on the Russian leader to return captured territories in Ukraine.

The article also carried remarks from Erdogan's UN speech, in which he said: "We think the war will never have a triumph, and a fair peace process will not have a loser. We need a dignified way out of this crisis, through a diplomatic process that is rational, fair and which is applicable."

The article also said that Macron's months-long engagement with Putin ended "apparently with little success" but helped to unify Europe behind Ukraine.

It said Macron "was vehement in his denunciation of the invasion — even as he insisted that he could play a role in brokering peace."