Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (right) sits in front of his Ukrainian counterpart Dmitro Kuleba during a tripartite meeting chaired by Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
(Photo: dpa)
Antalya At the first high-level meeting between Ukraine and Russia since the outbreak of war in Antalya, southern Turkey, both sides were unable to agree on a ceasefire. “We have made no progress on this issue,” said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba on Thursday after his trilateral meeting with his Russian and Turkish counterparts, Sergey Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Turkey had offered to host the meeting. It was already clear in advance that the talks were going to be difficult. Both Kyiv and Moscow stuck to their demands. There was neither an agreement on a ceasefire nor a solution for improving the humanitarian situation in the war zones.
Kuleba announced to the journalists that he would continue to work to find a solution to end the humanitarian suffering in his country. “I am willing to meet again for this in this format.”
Kuleba had repeatedly addressed Lavrov about the humanitarian suffering in Ukraine. “It seems that Russia is not currently interested in a ceasefire, but in a surrender of Ukraine.” Lavrov also held a press conference at the same time.
He stressed that Russia supports any attempt to resolve the issues underlying the current crisis in Ukraine. He referred to the proposals his country had already submitted. They wanted an answer to that, said Lavrov. At the same time, Russia seems to be playing for time. “There is nothing that can replace negotiations,” Lavrov told journalists.
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At Turkey’s initiative, both countries discussed humanitarian issues. “Civilians are being used as shields.” Lavrov stressed that Russia was making offers for humanitarian corridors on a daily basis. However, these lead either to Russia or Belarus. “We choose the safest routes,” Lavrov said. Asked about the bombing of a hospital, Lavrov said: “The hospital in Mariupol was already under the control of Ukrainian radicals and there were no patients there.” However, pictures by independent agency photographers show injured, heavily pregnant women. Lavrov said he wanted the Ukraine crisis to be resolved “taking into account the views of all parties and the EU.”
First high level meeting
It has been almost seven years since the heads of government of the G20 countries met in Antalya in southern Turkey. At the time, the Russian military had just begun bombing Syrian cities, winning the war in the country. That was in 2015.
This was the first high-level meeting between Ukraine and Russia since war broke out two weeks ago. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he hoped the talks would open the door to a permanent ceasefire.
Turkey, a NATO member, has good relations with both warring factions and has repeatedly offered to mediate.
(Photo: via REUTERS)
Both sides had previously reiterated their calls for the fighting to stop. Moscow had declared that it wanted to demilitarize Ukraine and recognize separatist areas as independent. The Kremlin also called for regime change in Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier said he was ready to consider some compromises. However, he ruled out the cession of Crimea and the provinces of Donetsk and Donbass and pushed for security guarantees from the United States and Germany and for membership of the European Union.
Little hope of a breakthrough
Zelensky also said there was no direct contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Only after direct talks between the two presidents can the war be ended. Before the tripartite summit, Cavusoglu had met bilaterally with his counterparts from Russia and Ukraine.
According to experts, the prospects for a ceasefire were already slim before the meeting. Christoph Heusgen, head of the Munich Security Conference, told the Handelsblatt: “Putin’s and Ukraine’s starting positions are currently far apart.” Reiner Schwalb, former Brigadier General, also believes that the conflict can be resolved quickly. D, unlikely. He does not expect that Russia will withdraw its troops. From Schwalb’s point of view, two options remain: “A ceasefire to negotiate a peace treaty – or Ukraine will continue the war in the hope that the political situation will change at some point.”
More: Read all news about the Ukraine war in the live blog