The panel titled “Towards the End of the Russia-Ukraine War,” organized by the Institute of Turkic Studies at Marmara University on Wednesday, February 26, was held in the Conference Hall of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. The panel addressed the historical background, current situation, and potential future war scenarios.

The first speaker of the panel, Prof. Dr. Okan Yeşilot, outlined the general framework of the Russia-Ukraine war, including its historical background. Prof. Dr. Yeşilot illustrated the course of the war with maps and also highlighted the importance of the grain deal and emphasized Turkey's critical role in this process.

 Prof. Dr. Mitat Çelikpala from Kadir Has University explained Turkey’s balanced foreign policy in the context of Russia-Ukraine relations. Noting that Turkey maintained its relations with both sides during the war, Prof. Dr. Çelikpala drew attention to the significant costs of the prolonged war for both Russia and Ukraine.

Prof. Dr. İlyas Kemaloğlu from Marmara University analyzed the Russia-Ukraine war from a historical perspective and shed light on the past of bilateral relations. Prof. Dr. Kemaloğlu emphasized that Turkey should be involved in the peace process alongside NATO and the European Union after the war. He also analyzed the policies followed by the EU and NATO during the war. He discussed the impact of sanctions imposed on Russia on the country’s economy and global politics, drawing attention to the global consequences of the war. Prof. Dr. Kemaloğlu also evaluated the positions of the US and Russia during this process.

The final speaker, Prof. Dr. Vugar İmanbeyli assessed the reasons for the war and how it progressed over the past three years, step by step. Using maps and statistics, Prof. Dr. İmanbeyli analyzed military capacities and the positions of the European Union and NATO during the war. He emphasized the high number of casualties, stating that both Russia and Ukraine suffered significant military losses.

The panel, with high participation, concluded with the presentation of appreciation certificates.