Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said consensus has been reached on some issues between Russia and Ukraine following peace talks in Istanbul on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters, Çavuşoğlu hailed the Russia-Ukraine peace talks, saying that Tuesday's meeting marked the "most meaningful progress since the start of negotiations."
"The Russia-Ukraine meeting shows the confidence of both countries in Turkey," he said.
The Turkish foreign minister noted that more advanced issues are expected to be discussed by the foreign ministers of both countries and this would be followed by a meeting between the two presidents.
He said he is pleased to see an increasing rapprochement between the Russian and Ukrainian sides at every stage after the talks.
Çavuşoğlu noted that Turkey encouraged both sides to reach a cease-fire as soon as possible. He also said they touched upon the issue of a humanitarian corridor and the Turkish vessels stranded in the area.
The Russian and Ukrainian delegations arrived in Istanbul on Monday and met at the Dolmabahçe working office in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district.
Ankara hosted the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine in Antalya earlier this month. Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov of Russia and Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine met for talks in the Turkish resort town of Antalya, which Çavuşoğlu also attended. The talks were largely inconclusive, but Ankara considers the fact that they took place at all a success.
Maintaining its neutral and balanced stance, Turkey continues its diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the Ukraine conflict, urging all sides to exercise restraint. While Ankara has opposed international sanctions designed to isolate Moscow, it also closed its straits to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing through them.
NATO ally Turkey borders Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea and has good ties with both. Since the beginning of the conflict, Ankara has offered to mediate between the two sides and host peace talks, underlining its support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Having recently called Russia’s invasion an unacceptable violation of international law, Turkey has carefully formulated its rhetoric not to offend Moscow, with which it has close energy, defense and tourism ties.
While forging close ties with Russia in a number of areas and relying heavily on Russian tourists, Turkey has sold drones to Ukraine, which angered Moscow. Turkey also opposes Russian policies in Syria and Libya, as well as Moscow's annexation of Crimea. President Erdoğan has repeatedly said Turkey will not abandon its relations with Russia or Ukraine, underlining that Ankara's ability to speak to both sides is an asset.
The Russia-Ukraine war, which started on Feb. 24, has met international outrage with the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom, among others, imposing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.
