“A meeting at a higher level, at least at the level of foreign ministers, may take place in a week or two,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a television interview, noting that “it is impossible to advance a date.”
He added, “The important thing is for the two sides to meet and agree on a permanent ceasefire,” noting that Turkey “would like to host a meeting of the two foreign ministers as an honest mediator.”
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Istanbul on Tuesday, and the talks offered a glimmer of hope for an end to the war in Ukraine, but there are still few signs of a decline in attacks on the ground.
Turkey, which has friendly relations with Ukraine and Russia and is a NATO member, positioned itself as a mediator, and hosted Lavrov and Kuliba in the southern city of Antalya in early March.
Cavusoglu said the most important progress so far was made in the Istanbul talks.
“Is it all over? No (…) some steps have been taken to reduce tension, even if we don’t see that much on the ground,” he added.
He continued, “Some say it is a tactical maneuver. Some are skeptical. We are cautious.”
The Turkish minister praised Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich for attending the Istanbul talks and for his “useful role” in ending the war.
Earlier, Lavrov stressed that his country “does not want Ukraine to become a member of NATO.”
“What we want is a demilitarized friendly Ukraine, without any threat to Moscow and the Russian culture,” he added.
The Russian Foreign Minister stressed that “the military operation in Ukraine is proceeding according to the plan laid out for it.”
He also referred to the “reasons” that led to the Russian military operation on Ukraine, saying that Kyiv “planned to attack the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in eastern Ukraine.”
“We came to discuss the implementation of what we seek, which is Ukraine’s neutrality, its disarmament and the disposal of the Nazis,” Lavrov added, noting that the “ceasefire issue” was not discussed during the meeting.
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