Turkey is holding talks with the parties to the conflict in Ukraine and making efforts to organize a meeting between Russian and Ukrainian presidents Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday.
"We are holding talks with the sides and making efforts to organize a meeting," he said in an interview with NTV. According to him, holding such a meeting depends on the Russian leader's consent to it.
According to him, Turkey assesses the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine without sufficient optimism or pessimism. "Recently, after the events in Bucha, the sides have made many statements condemning each other. This has affected the negotiation process. We, on the other hand, continue to talk to the parties. We approach the current course of negotiations with neither optimism nor pessimism. We have a realistic approach to this issue," he said.
Cavusoglu said Turkey believes the situation in Ukraine points to a new Cold War in the world.
Sanctions against Russia
He said Turkey would follow sanctions against Russia if approved by the UN. "Turkey follows international law, we will pursue a balanced policy. If the UN approves sanctions against Russia, Turkey will be forced to follow them," Cavusoglu said.
According to him, Turkey believes that the consequences of the situation in Ukraine and the sanctions imposed against Russia will be felt for a long time to come.
Erdogan's talks with Putin
Cavusoglu also said that Erdogan expects to hold telephone talks with Putin in the near future. "Yes, there are such plans," he said.
According to Cavusoglu, Turkey and Russia continue to "maintain close contacts." "I also plan to hold talks with my counterpart [Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov], the defense ministers of the two countries also stay in touch," he added.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS