No Progress in Russian, Ukrainian Foreign Ministers Meeting in Turkey
It was the highest-level contact between the two countries since the Russian invasion began three weeks ago
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba met on Thursday morning in Turkey, the highest-level contact between the two countries since the war began on February 24. But the meeting failed to yield a breakthrough on a cease-fire and other humanitarian issues.
The divide was apparent in statements given by both men in simultaneous news conferences that made clear the foreign ministers had made no progress.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entered its third week on Thursday with none of Moscow’s objectives met. Meanwhile, thousands of people have been killed, and more than 2 million have sought refuge in neighboring countries.
During his meeting with reporters, Lavrov stuck to his previous position and didn’t make any concessions, repeating Moscow’s demands that Kyiv be disarmed and accept neutral status. He said Ukraine seems interested in participating in meetings for the sake of meetings and blamed the West for its part in escalating the conflict by arming its neighbor.
“We see how dangerously our Western colleagues, including in the European Union, are acting now, which in violation of all its so-called principles and values encourages the supply of deadly weapons to Ukraine,” he said.
Lavrov added that Russia is ready to continue talks with Ukraine within the framework of the existing format in Belarus.
“Today’s meeting has confirmed that the Russian-Ukrainian format in Belarus has no alternative,” he said.
Lavrov and Kuleba met on the sidelines of a diplomatic forum in the Turkish resort city of Antalya for three-way talks joined by Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.
“We are in favor of any contacts … to solve the Ukrainian crisis … but the thing we realized is they must have added value and must not undermine the main track in Belarus,” said Lavrov.
For his part, an exasperated Kuleba said “no progress” had been reached on even a 24-hour cease-fire, saying that “it seems that there are other decision-makers for this matter in Russia.”
“We also talked on the cease-fire, a 24-hour cease-fire, but no progress was accomplished on that,” he said.
But Kuleba said Lavrov “will correspond with respective authorities on this issue.”
He insisted that Ukraine will not give in, saying: “I want to repeat that Ukraine has not surrendered, does not surrender, and will not surrender.”
Kuleba described the meeting as “difficult,” accusing his Russian counterpart of bringing “traditional narratives” about Ukraine to the table; however, he didn’t rule out another meeting with Lavrov “again in this format if there are prospects for a substantial discussion and for seeking solutions.”
“We are ready for diplomacy, we seek diplomatic decisions but, as long as there are none, we go with dedication, sacrificing ourselves, to defend our lands, our people, in the face of Russian aggression,” Kuleba said.
The mayor of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, said on Thursday that half of the city’s population has fled since the Russian invasion began, as Moscow’s forces continue their push toward the capital.
“From our information, one in two Kyiv residents has left the city,” Vitali Klitschko told Ukraine television. “A little less than 2 million people have currently left. However, Kyiv has been transformed into a fortress. Every street, every building, every checkpoint has been fortified.”
