Ankara, Kiev – Phone talks in search of solution to Ukraine crisis
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu discussed with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba the latest developments of the Russian military operation in his country.
This came in a phone call between the two ministers, on Tuesday, according to a statement published by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on its website.
The two sides “discussed the latest developments in Ukraine as a result of the Russian attack and confirmed their determination to work towards a solution to end the crisis”, the statement said.
Speaking earlier today during a press conference with his Hungarian counterpart, Péter Szijjártó, on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Çavuşoğlu stressed that a diplomatic solution is still possible, adding: “We believe that the only solution is through diplomatic means, and it is not military”.
He referred to the efforts of Turkey, a NATO member country to end the war since its inception, stressing his country’s opposition to the Russian military operation.
He continued: “This war must end as soon as possible, and we will continue our efforts in this direction despite the difficult circumstances on the ground”.
The Turkish Minister stressed the need to prepare for the possibility of a ceasefire, noting the importance of preparing a road map clarifying the issues of the withdrawal of Russian soldiers, the steps related to sanctions and the beginning of normalization on certain issues.
He added: “We see that a new cold war has begun, and it will take a long time to heal. “It may take 10 years to build confidence, but we believe swift steps should be taken on the ceasefire and on certain issues”.
Turkey, which enjoys good relations with Russia and Ukraine, is weighing in to resolve the Moscow-Kiev crisis and reach a ceasefire agreement.
Ankara entered the Russian-Ukrainian crisis early on and is making diplomatic efforts to defuse the war that began on February 24.
On March 29, Turkey hosted peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, during which the Ukrainian side proposed a system of security guarantees from several countries, including Turkey.
This is the second round of negotiations between the two sides, to be hosted by Turkey, after a first round that brought together the foreign ministers of the two countries, Sergey Lavrov of Russia and Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine, on March 10th.
Russian President Vladimir Putin describes the offensive in Ukraine, which began on February 24, as a special operation aimed at disarming the country and uprooting what he calls dangerous nationalists.
Western countries describe the attack as a war that Moscow has chosen to wage, and have imposed sanctions on Russia to cripple its economy.
Since February 24th, thousands of people have been killed, and nearly 10 million Ukrainians have been displaced internally and externally, according to the UN.
