Ankara, 21 March 2022 (TDI): Foreign Minister of Turkey, Mevlut Cavusoglu has recently told on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine are getting closer to an agreement on “paramount” issues.
Foreign Minister Cavusoglu also said he is hopeful for a ceasefire and that Ukraine and Russia have nearly agreed on some subjects. However, he pointed out that peace will prevail if both sides don’t back out from their progress towards an agreement.
Turkey is one of the countries at the forefront that is acting as a mediator to restore peace between Russia and Ukraine ever since the outbreak of war. In this context, recently, Turkish President Erdogan also held a telephonic dialogue with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Cavusoglu also visited Russia and Ukraine respectively. Furthermore, Turkey also hosted the Antalya Diplomacy Forum where the country arranged a tripartite diplomatic engagement between the Foreign Ministers of Turkey, Russia, and Ukraine.
Russia-Ukraine War
Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on 24th February. Earlier, Russia also recognized the Republics of the Luhansk and Donetsk, much to the West’s chagrin.
The Donetsk and Luhansk are a part of the Donbas region that is pro-Russia territory.
One of the main issues of contention between Russia and the EU/US is NATO’s beefed-up defenses in northeastern Europe and Ukraine’s intent to join NATO. A series of negotiations were held between Russian and Western counterparts to avert escalation. Though, that indelibly failed.
According to Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s stance regarding Ukraine is a matter of principle.
Throughout 2021 and 2022, Russia and the West had been engaged in a diplomatic tussle related to Ukraine.
Consequently, tensions escalated between the two countries and led to war. Even the threat of economic isolation and the ensuing sanctions couldn’t deter Russia to compromise on what it considers its national interest.
