Ibrahim Kalin

Turkey has called on Sweden and Finland to give concrete assurances in their fight against terrorism, particularly the PKK and its Syrian offshoot YPG, if they want to join NATO. The message was delivered to the Nordic states at a three-way meeting in the Turkish capital Ankara on May 25.

Turkish and Russian defense ministers have discussed the humanitarian situation and the need for the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol in a phone conversation, the Turkish Defence Ministry announced late May 2.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu talked over the phone, the ministry said in a written statement.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has outlined Turkey's priority in Ukraine, as the immediate evacuation of civilians from war-torn Mariupol, along with ending the war, informing that he will have a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week.

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

The head of the military administration in Kharkiv confirmed that four settlements were recaptured by Kyiv from the Russians: Kutuzivka, Verkhina Rohanka, Slobidske and Prelensne.

Scholz defended his policy for Ukraine

A senior United States official has described the role Turkey has been playing in the Ukrainian crisis as "pivotal," appreciating its mediation efforts between Moscow and Kiev.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu held a phone conversation with his Israeli counterpart, Yair Lapid, on Feb. 20 ahead of a visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Turkey.

The conversation came after a Turkish delegation, headed by presidential spokesperson İbrahim Kalın and Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal, visited Israel last week.

Senior Turkish officials held meetings in West Jerusalem on Feb. 17 ahead of a rare visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Turkey, officials said.

Turkey will continue to lend a support to Palestine's legitimate struggle, Turkey's top diplomat has said, as a senior Turkish delegation was scheduled to hold talks with their Israeli counterparts for the normalization of ties between the two states.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog will pay a visit to Turkey upon the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on March 9 and 10 as part of an ongoing joint effort to normalize relations between the two countries, Turkish media reported on Feb. 15.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez will meet with representatives of electricity distribution companies in the afternoon today.

The main topic of the meeting will be investments that should be made to protect households against disruptions caused by natural disasters.