The Turkish Foreign Minister plans to visit Russia on Monday to discuss the situation in Ukraine following direct talks held earlier this month in Istanbul between the parties to the conflict. This was reported by Bloomberg, writes UNN.
Details
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan intends to emphasize to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov Turkey's interest in "achieving a just and lasting peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine," the state agency Anadolu reports. Fidan also plans to hold talks with other senior Russian officials, including Deputy President Vladimir Medinsky.
Last week, Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Istanbul, with the prospect of further talks at the level of leaders. However, the only significant result of the discussions was an agreement on the exchange of prisoners. Putin was not present and sent a lower-level delegation.
Fidan and Lavrov are also expected to discuss regional issues, including the situation in Syria and Gaza, as well as trade and energy cooperation.
Recall
On Friday, May 15, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at Ankara airport.
He also stated that his presence in Turkey is already a "very clear message" to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin did not participate in the Ukrainian-Russian negotiations in Istanbul. The Russian delegation was headed by Putin's aide Vladimir Medinsky. The delegation also included the Deputy Foreign Minister and the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation.
At the same time, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the level of the Russian delegation looks like a dummy. Ukraine will consider further steps after talking with Turkish President Erdogan.