Turkey to host Ukrainian, Russian foreign ministers in first talks since invasion
Ankara has secured talks at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum after seeking to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv.
ISTANBUL — The top diplomats of Russia and Ukraine will meet in Turkey on Thursday for the first such high-level talks since Russia launched its invasion two weeks ago.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov agreed to meet on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.
The talks are seen as a diplomatic coup for Turkey, which has been offering to act as a mediator between the warring sides. Kuleba reportedly credited Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu for arranging the meeting, although he said his expectations of the outcome were “not high.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the meeting as “very important” — a view backed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday when he said the meeting “could be a very important step toward overcoming the crisis.”
