Ukraine urges Türkiye to be one of guarantors of ceasefire deal with Russia

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has asked Türkiye to be a guarantor of any future deal with Russia, along with the UN Security Council's five permanent members and Germany.

"Ukraine made an offer on the collective security agreement: P5 (the UN Security Council's five permanent members), Türkiye and Germany. The Russian Federation has no objection," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday during a visit to the Ukrainian city of Lviv.

The five permanent UN Security Council members are China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States.

Speaking after a closed-door meeting, Cavusoglu thanked his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba for having him in such "difficult days."

He said hopes for a ceasefire have increased a bit more after visits to both Russia and Ukraine, adding there is a possibility for Russian and Ukrainian leaders to meet if they agree on issues in which Ankara sees rapprochement.

"We wanted to come to Lviv, especially during these difficult days, to show our support to our strategic partner Ukraine,” he said.

Cavusoglu added that he was devastated over seeing many people waiting on the road and at border gates while on his way to Lviv via Poland.

READ MORE: Türkiye to Russia: Ukraine 'war' must stop

Türkiye's diplomatic efforts

He said that he hoped for a humanitarian ceasefire in the southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, where he said more than 100 Turkish citizens were still located.

Cavusoglu said he had proposed a 24-hour ceasefire to be monitored by humanitarian groups.

Emphasising that the conflict must end as soon as possible, Cavusoglu once again noted that the bloodshed, the tears must be stopped, while adding that Türkiye has "been intensifying efforts in this direction since the first day."

Cavusoglu emphasised Türkiye’s full support to Ukraine’s territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty, as he said the “entire world sees the struggle of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people against this war."

READ MORE: Türkiye: Comprehensive peace treaty between Russia, Ukraine on table

 'One-on-one meeting'

Prior to a closed-door meeting, Kuleba voiced appreciation over Türkiye's active role in building peace between the two warring countries.

While expressing regrets over holding the meeting under current circumstances, Kuleba told his Turkish counterpart that his commitment, courage, and personal visit to Lviv prove that Türkiye is an active player and that "it is ready to invest in bringing peace" to the Ukraine-Russia relations.

Kuleba noted that he has held close contact with Cavusoglu even prior to the Turkish minister's visit to the Russian capital Moscow on Wednesday, and added that they had discussed over the phone ways to put an end to the war.

Ukraine and its people appreciate the "principled position" that Türkiye has taken since the eruption of the war, he added.

"We are looking forward to fruitful discussion, and discuss next steps we can take in order to achieve peace," Kuleba added.

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