Ukraine is in favor of including Turkey among the guarantors of a possible security agreement, and Moscow does not object to this, Report informs that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said this following the talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Lviv.
The Turkish minister stressed that Ankara had taken a principled position on the Ukrainian-Russian crisis from the very beginning.
"In this war, it is necessary to stop the bloodshed as soon as possible. The Turkish leadership, personally President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is making active efforts in this direction," the minister stressed.
The Turkish foreign minister noted that Ankara's efforts to end hostilities in Ukraine continue in parallel with the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations underway in Belarus.
According to him, Turkey’s initiative to hold a trilateral meeting of foreign ministers in Antalya, and subsequent visits to Moscow and Lviv, was connected with this. “Yesterday in Moscow, I expressed the hope that the need for another meeting on Ukraine will disappear, as the war will end, and peace and stability will return to Ukraine and the region as a whole,” Cavusoglu said.
The Turkish foreign minister said that the results of the visits to the two countries, Russia and Ukraine, raised hopes for a ceasefire.
"President Erdogan had a telephone conversation with Zelensky the day before, and today he discussed the situation in Ukraine with Putin," the Turkish minister said.
"The whole world has witnessed the struggle of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. Ankara's position on the issue of supporting the territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of Ukraine remains unchanged. This attitude is a natural result of Turkey's principled policy, alliance and strategic partnership of our countries," the Turkish minister said.
Cavusoglu noted that the channels of Turkey's dialogue with Russia and Ukraine remain open, Ankara's steps on the issue of ending the war are sincere.
The minister further said that a proposal on security guarantees was voiced in Kyiv according to the formula: P5+Turkey and Germany, and Russia did not oppose it. "In my opinion, this initiative will find ultimate support," the Turkish minister said.
He also stressed that if a platform is formed to reach an agreement on issues that are close to being agreed upon, there is a high probability that the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky, will meet.
The Turkish foreign minister recalled the initiative of the Ukrainian leader to meet with the president of Russia in Turkey, stressing that Ankara is ready to organize such a dialogue.
At the same time, Turkey proposed to involve international structures in monitoring the ceasefire agreements with the aim of evacuating the population.