Foreign Ministers of Russia and Ukraine hold talks in Turkey.
Antalya, Turkey:
Russia and Ukraine on Thursday failed to find a breakthrough on a ceasefire and other humanitarian issues in the first high-level talks between the two sides since Moscow’s invasion.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba met on the sidelines of a diplomatic forum in the Turkish resort city of Antalya for trilateral talks joined by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Kuleba said “no progress” had been made including a 24-hour ceasefire, expressing disappointment that “it seems like there are other decision-makers on this issue in Russia”.
He also repeated his vow that the country would not give in, saying, “I want to reiterate that Ukraine has not surrendered, has not surrendered and will not surrender”.
He described the meeting as “difficult”, accusing his Russian counterpart of bringing “traditional stories” about Ukraine to the table.
He said he would be ready to meet again with Foreign Minister Lavrov “in this form if there is a prospect or an important discussion and to find a solution”.
Delegations from Ukraine and Russia have also met in Belarus, but the group sent by Russia to those talks has a relatively low rank, with no ministers.
Foreign Minister Lavrov seemed to put more emphasis on those talks, saying: “Today’s meeting confirmed that the Russian-Ukrainian form of Belarus has no alternative.”
“We support any contacts … to solve the Ukraine crisis … but what we realize is that they must be of added value and must not undermine the main road in Belarus. “
He said that the main topic of the talks in Antalya was humanitarian issues raised by the host Turkey.
Pictures of the meeting showed the Russian, Turkish and Ukrainian delegations seated on each side of a ‘U’-shaped table, with each minister accompanied by only two other officials.
There is no indication that they shook hands prior to the discussions.
Hospital Attack
The meeting came amid international outrage following an attack on a children’s hospital in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which, according to Kyiv, left at least three people dead, including a girl.
Kuleba said he wanted to emerge from the meeting with an agreement on a humanitarian corridor from the besieged city of Mariupol but “unfortunately Minister Lavrov is not qualified to commit to that”.
Kuleba said Lavrov “will talk to the authorities on this matter”.
Lavrov claimed the hospital served as a “military base for nationalists” from the radical Azov Battalion.
He also accused the European Union and other countries of “dangerously” supporting the supply of weapons to Ukraine.
“We see how our Western colleagues, including in the European Union, are now acting dangerously, violating all of this organization’s principles and values, encouraging supply supply lethal weapons to Ukraine.”
Many initiatives
Negotiations with Turkey are among a number of diplomatic initiatives underway.
Israel is seeking a solution through direct talks with President Vladimir Putin, and French President Emmanuel Macron also regularly calls the head of the Kremlin.
“There is a very slim hope today and we need to grasp it … don’t be naive,” France’s Europe Minister Clement Beaune told France Inter radio ahead of the meeting.
“The goal is the same, the fighting stops, but we need to put a lot of pressure on Russia,” he added.
Turkey is a traditional ally of Ukraine and has supplied the country with Bayraktar drones – manufactured by a company whose chief technology officer is Erdogan’s son-in-law – that Kyiv deployed during the conflict. conflict.
But they are looking to maintain a good relationship with Russia, where Turkey relies heavily on gas imports and tourism revenue.
“We are working to prevent this crisis from turning into a tragedy, and he hopes for a permanent ceasefire,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.
Erdogan is expected to speak by phone with US President Joe Biden at 15:30 GMT on Thursday, according to the Turkish president’s announcement.
