Türkiye ready to contribute to peace between Russia, Ukraine — Hakan Fidan

Türkiye is ready to contribute to peace between Russia and Ukraine, the Turkish foreign minister has said.

In a joint news conference on Monday with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Hakan Fidan said that security guarantees are an issue that Ankara closely follows.

Fidan also underlined that Ankara attaches great importance to the new US initiative to put an end to the Russia-Ukraine war “as a result-oriented approach.”

Türkiye and Russia share a similar view regarding putting an end to separatist movements in Syria, he added.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that a new meeting between Russia and the US will take place later this week.

Lavrov said full-fledged Russia-US talks are set for this week to address obstacles in the operation of diplomatic missions.

Lavrov also said he briefed Fidan on the results of last week's talks with the US in Saudi Arabia.

"We have informed our Turkish friends in detail about the Russian-American talks that took place on February 18 in Riyadh, which were highly appreciated in terms of the opportunity to finally have a normal dialogue, despite the numerous contradictions that, of course, persist," he said.

Asked about the prospects of a settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, the top Russian diplomat said Moscow is ready for talks with Ukraine, Europe, and any willing party but insisted that war will stop only when a settlement that is acceptable to Moscow is reached.

He claimed that Russia announced cease-fires several times but that Ukraine used them to reinforce its military positions.

"We are ready to negotiate with Ukraine, Europe, and any representatives who would like to help achieve peace in good faith, but we will stop fighting only when these negotiations produce a firm and sustainable result that suits the Russian Federation," he said.

He also said an agreement with Ukraine was reached in Istanbul in April 2022, but former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson blocked it, and the West obstructed its implementation to weaken Russia.

According to Lavrov, Moscow is expecting the appointment of a US representative for negotiations with Russia on the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.

He also noted that Ukraine's non-accession to NATO should be a must in any future peace agreement.

Türkiye urges realism on Ukraine’s NATO bid

Türkiye on Monday also emphasised the need for a realistic approach to Ukraine’s NATO membership aspirations, highlighting the broader security concerns behind Kiev's bid to join the alliance.

"We wouldn't mind if they want to be a NATO member, but we have to be very much realistic because we openly stated that we are in favour of Ukraine to be a NATO member. This was the statement from our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, so this is our official position," Fidan said in an interview with Bloomberg.

When asked if a change in the US administration is influencing Washington's stance on Ukraine's NATO membership, Fidan remarked, “I am not sure if the previous administration was also in favour of Ukraine joining NATO. So, I think there is no new policy on this."

He pointed out that ongoing discussions about Ukraine’s NATO ambitions continue between Türkiye, European partners, and Ukrainian officials.

"We have to understand one very fact. Ukrainians are asking for NATO membership, just not because for the sake of being a NATO member. It's just to see a security guarantee for their own country," Türkiye’s foreign minister stressed.

"I think now the security guarantee for not seeing the war re-emerging is one of the primary questions that we are discussing in the negotiations," Fidan said.

"So, the Ukrainians, one of the ways that they want to see, is NATO membership, if not creating a big international coalition to deploy alongside the contact lines, or the Russians might have different ideas for guarantee and security guarantees."