Live updates l Turkey plans for Russian tourists despite war
ISTANBUL — Turkey’s president says the war in Ukraine shouldn’t negatively affect the tourism season.
After prayers marking the beginning of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “very sensitive" about Turkey's need for tourism revenue and has already pledged to give his support.
Turkey suffers from skyrocketing inflation and needs tourists’ foreign currencies. Erdogan added Saudi tourists would also be arriving following his visit to Saudi Arabia last week.
In an interview with Greek state broadcaster ERT, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian tourism brought revenue to neighboring Greece and Turkey and called this “blood money.” Zelenskyy pointed to a double standard where Turkey acted as a meditator between Ukraine and Russia while preparing destinations for Russian tourists.
Erdogan said he’ll speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week to discuss speeding up evacuations from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol and to find a way for grain exports from Ukraine and Russia.
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:
— Evacuation of civilians from Ukrainian steel plant begins
— Pelosi, in surprise Kyiv trip, vows unbending US support
— Jill Biden to meet Ukrainian refugees in Romania, Slovakia
Follow all AP stories on Russia’s war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
LVIV, Ukraine — The British military believes more than a quarter of all troops Russia deployed for its war in Ukraine are now “combat ineffective.”
The comment Monday came as part of a daily briefing on Twitter...