Ukraine places order for additional drones after acquiring 12 Turkish UAVs: Report

Amid the escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine, the latter has received 12 Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones. Ukraine has further placed an order for additional 24 drones, ANI reported citing the Turkish media. Reportedly, Turkey has been able to develop over 300 or more than 400 Bayraktar TB2 and Siha drones in Ukraine in the past eight years.

As per a report by Haberler, Turkey has supplied 96 drones to international clients. The potential buyers of these Turkish-made drones include the United Kingdom, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Saudi Arabia, Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovakia, Uruguay, Kazakhstan and Albania. Earlier in March, Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Yavuz Selim Kiran stated that they had not donated its Bayraktar drones to Ukraine as defence assistance. However, Yavuz Selim Kiran added that the drones were purchased by Ukraine from a private firm. In September last year, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry and the Turkish company signed an agreement on setting up a joint centre for drone maintenance and modernization near Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. It is pertinent to note here that ever since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities have been calling on the international community to provide the military equipment as they continue to resist Russian forces. 

Zelenskyy speaks to Erdogan 

Earlier on 24 April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a telephonic conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. During his talks with the Turkish leader, President Zelenskyy stressed the requirement for the immediate "evacuation of civilians from Mariupol, including Azovstal, and also an immediate exchange of blocked troops." Taking to his Twitter handle, Zelenskyy stated that he also discussed the course of the negotiation process and coordination with Turkey and other countries over security guarantees for Ukraine. Turkey even hosted the delegations of Russia and Ukraine for negotiations in Istanbul.

Russia-Ukraine War 

It is pertinent to note that Russia initiated a full-fledged war against Ukraine nearly two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognizing the independence of regions Donetsk and Luhansk. On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" in Ukraine and the troops and tanks of Moscow stormed across the Ukrainian border. Since then, the hostilities between the two warring nations have resulted in the killing of people and the destruction of infrastructure in Ukraine. In the latest update, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry has claimed that more than 25,000 Russian soldiers have lost their lives since February 24. 

Inputs from ANI