Ankara: Time to Start Dialogue Between Moscow, Kyiv on Ceasefire

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met on Sunday with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov (Reuters)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met on Sunday with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov (Reuters)
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Ankara: Time to Start Dialogue Between Moscow, Kyiv on Ceasefire

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met on Sunday with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov (Reuters)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met on Sunday with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov (Reuters)

Türkiye says it is now time to start a dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv for a ceasefire, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday in the southern city of Antalya.

Fidan met his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on Friday on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. He told reporters he had discussed a number of issues with Lavrov, including Ukraine.

“On the issue of Ukraine, our view is that both sides have reached the limits of what they can get by war. We think that it is time to start a dialogue for a ceasefire,”Fidan said.

The foreign minister added that opening up ceasefire talks “doesn't mean recognizing the occupation (by Russia), but issues of sovereignty and ceasefire should be discussed separately.”

NATO member Türkiye, which shares a maritime border with both Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea, has sought to maintain good ties with both nations since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine two years ago.

Ankara has provided military support for Ukraine and voiced support for its territorial integrity, but also opposes sanctions on Russia.

Fidan’s meeting with Lavrov came shortly before a trip to Washington to meet his American counterpart Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The meeting will be held within the framework of the Türkiye-US Strategic Dialogue Mechanism, held on March 7 and 8. It comes as Moscow signaled its readiness to hold talks with Washington.

In 2022, Türkiye hosted unofficial peace talks between Russia and Ukraine at the second diplomatic forum in the Turkish city of Antalya. The talks has not yielded any positive results.

Last month, Türkiye’s President Tayyip Erdogan expressed his ongoing willingness to mediate between Russia and Ukraine for a “fair” peace between the two countries.

“We have brought the parties together in Türkiye on multiple occasions. We can do this again and open the door to peace through a solution-focused process management, free from external influences,” Erdogan said.

“In our meetings with both President (Vladimir) Putin and President (Volodymyr) Zelenskiy, we continue our efforts in this pursuit,” he added.



Trump, Putin to Talk on Thursday ahead of Possible Zelenskiy Call

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in 2019. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in 2019. (Reuters)
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Trump, Putin to Talk on Thursday ahead of Possible Zelenskiy Call

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in 2019. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in 2019. (Reuters)

US President Donald Trump said he will talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, while a Ukrainian source told Reuters Trump may speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday.

"Will be speaking to President Putin of Russia at 10:00 A.M. Thank you!" Trump wrote on his social media platform. He did not say what they would discuss.

On Friday, Trump and Zelenskiy are expected to discuss the abrupt halt in some key US weapons deliveries to Kyiv, with Zelenskiy expected to raise potential future arms sales, the Financial Times earlier reported on Thursday, Reuters reported.

The timing of that call could change, the FT added, citing people familiar with the planning.

The US has paused some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine due to low stockpiles, sources earlier told Reuters. That decision led to Ukraine calling in the acting US envoy to Kyiv on Wednesday to underline the importance of military aid from Washington continuing, and caution that the move would weaken Ukraine's ability to defend against intensifying Russian airstrikes and battlefield advances.

The Pentagon's move led in part to a cut in deliveries of Patriot air defense missiles that Ukraine relies on to destroy fast-moving ballistic missiles, Reuters reported on Wednesday.