Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba late Monday confirmed that he will meet with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum this week following Turkey’s proposal to bring the two top diplomats together amid continuing tensions.
"Currently the 10th (of March) is planned. Let's see – if he flies to Antalya, then I'll fly too. Let's sit down, let's talk," Kuleba said in a video message on Monday evening.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu had previously said both sides were expected in the Turkish city of Antalya on March 10. The talks will be held in a trilateral format.
If Lavrov was ready for a serious talk, they would speak "from diplomat to diplomat." But should Lavrov "start repeating the absurd propaganda that has been dished out lately, I'll give him the hard truth he deserves," Kuleba asserted.
The diplomat said his country was also not closed to direct talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Expressing hope that the meeting "will be a turning point" and "important step" towards peace and stability, the Turkish foreign minister said on Monday that Ankara would "continue to make efforts for a lasting peace."
Turkey has sought to mediate between Russia and Ukraine and offered on several occasions to host talks.
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 the Bosporus and Dardanelles under a 1936 pact, allowing it to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing the Turkish Straits.
Under the 1936 Montreux Convention, NATO member Turkey has control over the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits linking the Mediterranean and Black seas. The pact gives Ankara the power to regulate the transit of naval warships and to close the straits to foreign warships during wartime and when it is threatened.
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 ties.
While building close cooperation with Russia on defense and energy, Ankara has also sold sophisticated drones to Ukraine and signed a deal to co-produce more, angering Moscow.
Turkey opposes Russian policies in Syria and Libya, its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its 2008 recognition of two Georgian regions.
Last week, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in which he told the Russian leader that Turkey is ready to contribute to the solution of the Ukraine problem by peaceful means as soon as possible.
Stressing that an urgent general cease-fire would not only alleviate humanitarian concerns in the region but also provide an opportunity to seek a political solution, Erdoğan reiterated his call to "pave the way for peace together."
Erdoğan emphasized the importance of taking urgent steps to ensure a cease-fire, open humanitarian corridors and sign a peace agreement.
