LAST UPDATE: 16:34
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday to discuss the war in Ukraine, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said today, adding that Ankara is ready to help.
Speaking to reporters in Istanbul, Kalin reiterated Turkey’s offer to host talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials and called for an immediate end to hostilities.
He reiterated that Ankara could not abandon its ties with either Moscow or Kyiv.
“The president will convey the message we have been repeating from the beginning: end this war immediately, give a chance to the ceasefire and the negotiations, create a humanitarian corridor and evacuate the civilians,” Kalin said in an interview with the private Turkish NTV channel.
Erdogan will also call for “leadership-level” talks between Russia and Ukraine that could take place in Turkey, the Turkish official said.
The Turkish Foreign Minister on Friday expressed hope that he would be able to gather his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts at the Diplomacy Forum scheduled for March 11-13 in Antalya, southern Turkey.
According to Turkish media, Tsavousoglu’s invitation was welcomed by Russian Ambassador to the UN Gennady Gatilov, who described as a “good idea” a possible meeting of the two ministers in Antalya.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has confirmed his participation in the Forum, according to Tsavousoglu.
“We believe that these meetings will have a positive impact. In particular, a meeting at the leadership level could prevent war from causing more disaster,” Kalin said.
Turkey is ready to host such a meeting, he added.
According to Kalin, Russia is setting “unrealistic” conditions for ending the war.
“But there are negotiations and diplomacy for that. (…) We have good relations with both Ukraine and Russia. We can not abandon either,” he said.
Russia’s humanitarian trucks in two Ukrainian cities should be valid throughout the country, and corridors for the evacuation of civilians and relief missions should be opened throughout the country, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt ÇavuÅŸoλουlu also said.
Speaking at a news conference in Baku, Tsavousoglu also said the ceasefire should be permanent, adding that Ankara was working to evacuate its citizens to Ukraine by bus and train.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today told European Council President Charles Michel that Turkey will continue all its efforts to achieve peace between Ukraine and Russia, the Turkish presidency said in a statement.
Turkey, a NATO member with a common naval border with Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea, maintains good relations with both countries.
Ankara has described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as unacceptable and has offered to host peace talks, but is opposed to imposing sanctions on Moscow.
Erdogan’s spokesman said earlier that the Turkish president would hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin tomorrow.
Source: Capital
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