Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Tuesday her country is "thankful" to Turkey for its mediation efforts over the Russia-Ukraine war.
At a press briefing in Moscow, Zakharova said Russia is "thankful" to Turkey "for the mediation role, the mediation efforts that the leadership of this country was ready to provide for the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and the settlement of the situation."
Zakharova noted that compared to the Western line of putting sanctions against Russia, Turkey has taken "a balanced and independent position," has not joined the restrictive measures, adhered to the Montreux Convention, and kept open its airspace for Russian aviation.
The 1936 convention gives Turkey the authority to ban warships from the straits during times of war.
She also said that despite differences over Ukraine, neither the Turkish government nor the Turkish people share the Western anti-Russian campaign.
"And with all the nuances," she said, Russia does not share Turkey's "position on Ukraine, including Crimea, and openly talked about it at the talks, but the Russophobic campaign did not overwhelm either the Turkish government or the people as a whole. Neither the Turkish government nor the Turkish people share the anti-Russian hysteria that is happening in the West."
Ankara's balanced position was among the reasons that led to the organizing of the Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul, she added.
"We hope that our Turkish partners will help us make the current meeting with the Ukrainian delegation as effective and efficient as possible," the spokesperson said.
Ahead of the talks, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his call for a cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine as the war has entered its second month.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said the talks had made “meaningful” progress and the two sides had reached “a consensus and common understanding” on some issues.
He said the meeting would be followed by one between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers at an unspecified time. A meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents is also “on the agenda,” he said.
Russia's war against Ukraine, which started on Feb. 24, has met with international outrage, with the European Union, United States, and the United Kingdom, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.
At least 1,179 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 1,860 injured, according to estimates by the United Nations, which cautioned that the true figure is likely far higher.
More than 3.9 million Ukrainians have also fled to several European countries, with millions more displaced inside the country, according to the U.N. refugee agency.
Turkey has been one of the countries leading efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has impacted millions of civilians. Turkey says it can facilitate peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, but says that a cease-fire and humanitarian corridors are needed first.
Ankara also 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 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 on energy, defense and trade 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. 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.
