Expectations for the first meeting of high-ranking representatives of Kiev and Moscow in the Ukraine war are low. Russia’s chief diplomat Lavrov and his Ukrainian colleague Kuleba meet in Turkey.
Interest in the first meeting of high-ranking representatives of the conflicting parties two weeks after the start of the Ukraine war is huge.
But the expectations of the talks between Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and his Russian colleague Sergey Lavrov this Thursday in the Turkish seaside resort of Antalya cannot be lower. After an hour and a half it is clear: the chief diplomats are going home without any tangible results.
Instead of the capitulation demanded by Moscow, there is a declaration of war from Kyiv. No truce. And progress in establishing humanitarian corridors in Ukrainian cities besieged by Russian troops is also a long time coming. At separate press conferences, where journalists have to choose sides, it quickly becomes clear that peace is not in sight. Lavrov blames the Ukrainian side, Kuleba the Russian side. Both speak calmly and calmly.
Talk between Putin and Zelenskyy not excluded
Kuleba, who does not wear a tie, calls the talks difficult. Lavrov complains that, as always, it is difficult to agree anything with the Ukrainian side. The two want to keep in touch. A possible direct talk between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin is not ruled out either. However, at the beginning of the third week of the war, both sides are leaving the negotiations to their delegations in Belarus, who are said to be preparing for their fourth meeting.
Here, too, it is said to be about a ceasefire and escape routes, especially for the besieged port city of Mariupol. Western journalists asked Lavrov three times about an internationally condemned attack on a maternity clinic in the city on the Azov Sea. He claims that children, wives and sisters were no longer there, but only radical fighters of Ukrainian nationalists from the «Azov Battalion». The Ukrainian President Selenskyj later rejected this as a lie via video.
Kuleba: «Ukraine will not surrender»
“We agreed to continue efforts to find a solution to the humanitarian issues,” Kuleba said calmly in Antalya. The 40-year-old complains that the Russian side is linking a ceasefire to demands, including the cession of territory and a neutral status for the country. The diplomat refuses, emphasizing: “Ukraine has not surrendered, is not surrendering and will not surrender!” Kyiv is ready for diplomatic solutions. “But as long as there is no such thing, we will self-sacrificingly defend our country, our people from Russian aggression.”
When asked by Western journalists, Lavrov once again denied that Russia had invaded Ukraine. He repeats the legend, also cultivated by Putin and the state media controlled by the Kremlin, that Moscow is defending the interests of the Russian-speaking population in the neighboring country and its own security. Lavrov also spoke for a long time about the danger of biological weapons that the United States was experimenting with in Ukraine. Washington rejects these allegations by Moscow.
Kuleba says the talks also included the security of nuclear facilities in Ukraine. “I told him that before Russian soldiers arrived in Ukraine, everything was fine with our nuclear power plants.” Kyiv is a responsible partner in nuclear safety. Kuleba describes Russian accusations about a planned Ukrainian nuclear build-up as a “lie”.
It’s best for Russia to withdraw – unconditionally, then everything will be fine, says Kuleba. But the Russians will stay, as Lavrov emphasizes. The military “special operation”, which should not be called war in Russia, is going according to plan.
Turkish Foreign Minister visibly satisfied
In the end, only Turkey can claim success for having managed to bring the warring parties together. Turkish state television shows the visibly satisfied Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu as the host at the U-shaped tables. Lavrov and Kuleba sit directly across from each other, with Cavusoglu between them. Before and after the talks, the two guests apparently want to avoid taking pictures together.
The NATO country Turkey, which has sea borders with both countries in the Black Sea, has repeatedly offered to mediate in the conflict. Ankara maintains close ties with both Moscow and Kyiv. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sharply criticized Russia’s invasion, but has always emphasized that he does not want to give up any of his partners. And, to Russia’s delight, Turkey is not taking part in Western sanctions against the resource superpower.
Turkey is dependent on Russia for energy and grain imports, for example. In addition, both are active in other conflict areas such as Syria and Libya – where they support different sides. Kyiv, in turn, is a buyer of Turkish combat drones, which could also be produced in Ukraine in the future. The fact that Turkey actually recorded the first meeting at this level should be a diplomatic success for Erdogan and his government. It took 40 phone calls from him and 19 from Erdogan to get it done, Cavusoglu said.
Source: Stern
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