Russia, Ukraine Begin Talks In Istanbul
According to the official Turkish news agency, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators began face-to-face discussions in Istanbul on Tuesday, with host Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pushing them to “put a stop to this catastrophe.”
The face-to-face discussions at Istanbul’s Dolmabahce palace are intended at putting an end to a war that has killed an estimated 20,000 people and displaced more than 10 million people.
“Both parties are concerned about valid issues. “A solution acceptable to the international community is feasible,” Erdogan stated.
“It is up to the two parties to bring this tragedy to a close,” he insisted, adding that “the conflict’s continuance is in no one’s interest.”
Erdogan went on to say, “The entire world is waiting for positive news from you.”
On Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was scheduled to meet with the delegations from Ukraine and Russia.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Turkey hosted the first meeting between Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers on March 10.
Those discussions in Antalya, Turkey’s southernmost city, failed to generate a cease-fire or any other tangible results.
Erdogan stated on Monday evening that since Russia’s takeover of Crimea in 2014, his country has been the only one to make sincere efforts to resolve the situation through conversation, negotiation, and an accord.
Turkey, which shares a Black Sea coast with both Russia and Ukraine, is trying to keep good relations with both and has volunteered to mediate since the beginning of the conflict.
Ankara has been a long-time supporter of Kyiv, supplying the country with Bayraktar drones, which Ukraine has used in the conflict.
But it also wants to maintain good relations with Russia, which Turkey strongly relies on for gas imports and tourism revenues.
Turkey is also coordinating a “humanitarian mission” with France and Greece to evacuate civilians from the damaged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, which has been bombarded by Russian forces.
