Russian and Turkish foreign ministers hold meeting on issues related to Russia-Ukraine negotiations, food exports and other issues
China News Agency, Moscow, June 8. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu in Ankara on the 8th. Exchange of views on hot issues.
According to the TASS news agency, at a joint press conference held after the talks, Lavrov said that Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine is proceeding as planned and will achieve its established goals. He stressed that the possibility of a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents will be possible only after the negotiation process between Moscow and Kyiv resumes. He said that the Ukrainian side asked to restore the military line of control to the pre-conflict state before considering negotiations, which was not a “serious attitude”. Since mid-April, Ukraine has not responded to the draft peace agreement proposed by Russia.
Lavrov said that Russia appreciates Turkey’s efforts to relieve Ukraine’s grain export problem. The Russian side is willing to hold a meeting with the Ukrainian side in Istanbul under the mediation of the United Nations to resolve the grain export issue, but to resolve the issue, the Ukrainian side only needs to clear the mines or determine a safe passage and allow ships to leave the port freely. He said that Russia is ready to “in some way” provide security guarantees for the export of Ukrainian grain through Black Sea ports. If Ukraine clears the mines in the Black Sea ports to export grain, Russia will not use it to conduct military operations.
According to Turkey’s Anadolu news agency, Cavusoglu said the talks were fruitful. He said that it is in the interests of the entire international community to end the Russian-Ukrainian war through negotiations. He said that Ukrainian President Zelensky recently expressed to Turkish President Erdogan that he hopes to return to negotiations and meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Today, the atmosphere for the resumption of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiating process is more positive than it was a few weeks ago, providing hope for a return to negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. The Turkish side is willing to provide the necessary support for this.
When talking about Ukraine’s grain exports, Cavusoglu pointed out that the Turkish side believes that the plan to establish a “grain corridor” in the Black Sea is feasible. He said the United Nations had made proposals for Ukraine’s grain exports, and Turkey was preparing to organize a meeting in Istanbul to discuss the details of the mechanism proposed by the United Nations. Turkmenistan also believes that Russia’s request to lift export restrictions on Russian goods in exchange for ensuring the transportation of grain, sunflower seeds and sunflower oil from Ukraine is justified. He emphasized that the problem should not be avoided, and the international community must work together to open up a path for the export of Russian-Ukrainian products. It is important to establish a mechanism to ensure the interests of all parties.