Russia-Ukraine conflict: Kuleba, Lavrov to meet in Turkey on March 10
Mar 07, 2022
Kyiv [Ukraine], March 7 : After the diplomatic efforts by Turkey, Foreign Ministers of Ukraine and Russia have agreed to meet in Turkey on Thursday amid the ongoing tensions after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet in Turkey's coastal Antalya province, according to their Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Cavusoglu said that the meeting was the outcome of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's initiatives and Turkey's 'intensive diplomatic efforts.
Taking to Twitter, Cavusoglu wrote, "Upon President @RTErdogan's initiatives & our intensive diplomatic efforts, Foreign Ministers Sergei Lavrov of #Russia & Dmytro Kuleba of #Ukraine have decided to meet with my participation on the margins of @AntalyaDF. Hope this step will lead to peace and stability."
Ankara wants to be a mediator in the Ukraine crisis, Turkish Ambassador to the United States Murat Mercan said late last month.
"In terms of Turkey's role in Ukraine, in this conflict, we want to be a mediator," Mercan said. "We want to contribute to peacemaking."
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said that Russia's military operation in Ukraine can be suspended only if Kyiv ceases military actions and fulfils Moscow's demands.
Moreover, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told his Turkish counterpart that he is ready to meet with Putin in Istanbul or Ankara, Ibrahim Kalin, the Turkish presidential spokesperson, and adviser, said on Saturday.
Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine's breakaway regions, Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics followed by the announcement of a "special military operation" to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine.
Following this move by Russia, western countries have imposed tough sanctions on the country targeting its economy.
