Russian, Ukrainian FMs to meet this week, says Turkey

Ankara, Mar 7 (EFE).- Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba have agreed to hold talks in Turkey on Thursday, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday.

The meeting between will take place on the sidelines of a diplomatic summit in Antalya, Cavusoglu said.

“Upon President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan’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,” Cavusoglu wrote on Twitter.

Çavusoglu said that the meeting was confirmed after “dense diplomatic efforts,” including a phone call held between Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday.

Lavrov then said he was ready to take part in the meeting. Shortly after, Kuleba confirmed his participation, according to Çavusoglu.

Turkey, a Nato member, has maintained a neutral stance since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started 12 days ago.

While it has condemned the assault as “baseless and unjust” and backed Ukraine’s battle to protect “its territorial integrity,” it did not join the international community in imposing sanctions against Russia.

Some 168 people are invited to attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum running from March 11 to 13, including dozens of ministers and the European Union’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell.EFE

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