Moscow, 24 February 2022 (TDI): Russian President, Vladimir Putin, held a telephone exchange with the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyib Erdogan. The telephone dialogue took place on February 23.
To clarify, the conversation was based on Russia and Ukraine conflict.
Remarks of Russian President
Amid the Ukrainian crisis, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, focused on the sovereign status of Donetsk and the Lugansk People’s republic. In this regard, the Russian President also emphasized the objective necessity behind this recognition.
https://youtu.be/pLy-sY5NwUs
He further reiterated that Ukrainian authorities have categorically refused the Minsk agreement. In addition to that, President Putin highlighted Kyiv’s aggression in Donbas.
Moreover, both leaders noted the significance of legally binding security guarantees for international and European security. In this matter, the Russian President also expressed dissatisfaction regarding NATO and US response. Unfortunately, these responses ignore the key questions and concerns of Moscow.
Further, Russian Turkish Presidents also agreed to maintain contact in various
Formats.
Remarks of Turkish President
Nevertheless, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Turkey is ready to do its part for the “de-escalation” of tension and the preservation of peace.
Considering the current state of affairs, the Turkish President mentioned that Turkey doesn’t recognize steps that violate international law and the Minsk agreement. He also underscored that military confrontation underscores no one.
On the other hand, the Turkish President noted that diplomacy is the only viable solution. By the way, he added that Turkey has maintained its presence in NATO through diplomacy as well.
In particular, he invited the Russian President High-Level Cooperation Council Meeting which was agreed upon during his visit to Sochi in September last year. The visits of Russian Turkish presidents would provide prospective results in the future for bilateral cooperation.
Russia and Ukraine Conflict
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine goes back to the coup of 2018. As per the Russian stance, the coup was unconstitutional and violated international law as well. Due to this coup, the then President of Ukraine fled the country. In this regard, aggression and insurgency surfaced the region which advocated aggressive nationalism and provoked Russophobia.
Following that, Russian authorities have also claimed that Ukraine didn’t put steps to implement the Minsk package of measures. As a result, the Russian President recognized the regions of LPR and DPT during his meeting with the Russian Security Council.
At the meeting, the Russian Foreign Minister was also present, analyzing the Ukrainian crisis in detail. He also detailed the diplomatic efforts of the Russian Federation such as a series of negotiations and dialogue processes along with writing letters to EU and NATO.
Lastly, the Russian Foreign Minister mentioned the outcomes of the Munich Conference as well which asked for further diplomatic efforts. He reiterated that Russia is open to every kind of diplomatic dialogue and negotiation process. But, the process must consider the core interests of the Russian Federation as a call and not as a demand.
MPhil Scholar at Centre of South Asian Studies, University of the Punjab, Lahore
