“Our goal is taking such a step that will sort this out without abandoning either one,” Erdogan told reporters on a flight back from his Africa visit on Wednesday, Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

“We will continue our phone diplomacy with Russian President Vladimir Putin, hopefully we will get good results," Erdogan said.

Putin has ordered Russian troops into the two rebel-held regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, after recognizing them as independent states on Monday.

Turkey’s foreign ministry on Tuesday rejected Russia’s recognition of the breakaway republics and called on Moscow to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

On Tuesday, Erdogan had cancelled a planned trip to Guinea-Bissau and will return home on Wednesday, from an Africa tour early to participate in an emergency online meeting with NATO leaders.

Calling on Kyiv and Moscow to resume negotiations as soon as possible, Erdogan also urged NATO to determine its stance over the crisis.

“Everyone is just talking, no one is taking an action,” Erdogan said.

NATO member Turkey, which lies south of Ukraine over the Black Sea, has sold armed drones to Kyiv, and has sought to increase cooperation in defense and economic matters. But Erdogan has also strengthened cooperation with Russia substantially to help turn Turkey into a regional power free of Western tutelage.

Turkey took delivery of Russian S-400 air defense missiles in 2019, sparking criticism from its NATO allies. The purchase also prompted the United States to bar Ankara from a program to develop and purchase stealth F-35 fighter jets.

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