The procedures for the Ukrainian are moving rapidly. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is in Ankara and had a meeting early in the morning with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in the Turkish ministry.

Immediately afterwards, the two diplomats gave a joint press conference in a crowded room of Turkish and foreign journalists. Hakan Fidan stressed that Ankara attaches great importance to the new initiative to achieve peace in the Russia-Ukraine War with the aim of achieving a result. He reiterated President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s proposal that Turkey is ready to host peace talks and provide any support for the consolidation of peace, as in the past, as he typically noted. Increasing consultation and coordination against all developments directly or indirectly Turkey and Russia will have a great benefit, Fidan said, adding that “according to the goals indicated by our President and Mr. Putin, we aim to deepen the goals. Further our cooperation on bilateral and international issues. ”

Negotiations aimed at ending war in Ukraine

Today, the leader of Turkish diplomacy pointed out, as the war comes in his fourth year, there is an initiative started by the United States and aiming to end the war through negotiations: “This situation coincides with the policy we pursue by the Principle of war. We believe that a solution can be achieved through negotiations with the participation of both sides, “he said, Hakan Fidan, making it clear that Ankara is not going to disperse its close relationships with Ukraine. And all this even when Erdogan himself rushed to invite Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski to Ankara, while Arabs, Russians and Americans were discussing the fate of his country without him. Maintaining the relationship with the Ukrainian politician in a way guarantees Turkey’s involvement in the table of negotiations to be set up.

For his part, the Russian Foreign Minister stressed that, despite international tensions, “President Putin and President Erdogan are in constant contact”. In his long discussion with his Turkish counterpart, he said he informed him of the talks in Riyadh, where ‘different views’ emerged, adding that “we will continue our discussions with our partners in the US and this week there will be extensive consultations. Lavrov praised the US consistency in their positions, saying that the positions of both Ukraine and European countries are often changed and that “in this context, the position of the United States stands out.”

Turkish media: In Ankara the “key” for Ukrainian

However, he says he is skeptical about Russia’s next move: “We will stop hostilities only when these negotiations generate a stable and sustainable result, which fits into the Russian federation,” he said. “At the moment we are closely watching discussions and meetings. Turkey is ready to play any role to accelerate or facilitate. Our goal is to end this war as soon as possible. “

The Russian Foreign Minister was later accepted by President Erdogan. The meeting, which took place at the presidential complex in Ankara, was closed to the media. However, the war in Ukraine, regional issues and bilateral relations, was reportedly discussed. The Lavrov visit coincides with the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and is therefore considered to be critical. Erdogan will chair a meeting of the cabinet after which he is expected to make statements.

The pro -government Turkish media report that the key to the solution in Ukrainian is in Ankara and that everything shows that “we are close to agreement”.