Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin tomorrow Sunday to discuss the war in Ukraine, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said today, adding that Ankara is ready to help resolve the crisis.
Speaking to reporters in Istanbul, Kalin reiterated Turkey's offer to host talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
Again, he added that Ankara cannot abandon the ties it maintains with either Moscow or Kiev.
"End this war immediately"
"The president will convey to him the message we have been repeating from the beginning: end this war immediately, give a chance to ceasefire and negotiations, create a humanitarian corridor and remove civilians," Kalin said in an interview with Turkey's private NTV channel.
Erdogan will also call for "leadership-level" talks between Russia and Ukraine that could be held in Turkey, the Turkish official noted.
The Turkish foreign minister expressed hope on Friday that he would be able to gather his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts at the Diplomacy Forum scheduled for March 11-13 in Antalya, in southern Turkey.
According to Turkish media, Cavusoglu's invitation was positively received by Russian Ambassador to the UN Genadi Gatilov, who described a possible meeting of the two ministers in Antalya as a "good idea".
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed his participation in the forum, according to Cavusoglu.
"We believe that these meetings will have a positive impact. In particular, a meeting at the leaders' level could prevent the possibility that the war will cause more destruction," Kalin said.
Turkey is ready to host such a meeting, he added.
According to Kalin, Russia is setting "unrealistic" conditions to end the war.
"But, there are negotiations and diplomacy for that. (...) We have good relations with both Ukraine and Russia. We cannot abandon either of them," he said."
The humanitarian ceasefires declared by Russia in two Ukrainian cities should apply throughout the country and corridors for civilian evacuations and aid shipments should be opened throughout the country, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also said.
Speaking at a press conference in Baku, Cavusoglu also said the ceasefire must be permanent, adding that Ankara is working to evacuate its citizens in Ukraine by bus and train.
Source: APE
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