Erdogan travels to Ukraine to arrange a meeting between Zelensky and Putin

On February 3, Recep Tayyip Erdogan will leave for Ukraine. The visit will take place on the day of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Ukraine.

The Turkish president will meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev at the tenth meeting of the strategic council. As a result of the meeting, they will sign agreements and memorandums of understanding on certain issues, including defense ones.

According to the Turkish presidential administration, on January 19, Erdogan invited Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to Turkey to resolve differences. According to the official representative of the Turkish leader, Ibrahim Kalin, the country is ready to act in any role in order to reduce tension in Russian-Ukrainian relations.

“Our country has always supported the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. From the very beginning, we took a clear position on Russia’s intentions against the integrity of Ukraine and, in particular, against the annexation of Crimea. We have just invited Mr. Putin to our country. If the two leaders want it, we can bring them into our country and pave the way for a peaceful environment,” Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.

This information was confirmed today by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusholy, saying that Vladimir Putin accepted the invitation of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Russia will only welcome if Turkey can push Ukraine to implement the Minsk agreements, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “RIA News”. “If our Turkish partners can influence the Ukrainians and encourage them to fulfill the previously taken agreements, and oblige them, this can only be welcomed,” Peskov told reporters.

The Kremlin noted that they approve the efforts of any countries that will help resolve the conflict in Donbass. Peskov recalled that the main disagreements between Moscow and Kiev are connected precisely with the “slipping” of the Minsk agreements by the Ukrainian authorities. In this case, the question of the place of negotiations is secondary, he noted.

Last autumn, Turkey already offered to become a mediator in establishing relations between Russia and Ukraine. Erdogan then stated that the country was discussing the crisis in Donbass with Putin and intended to continue the conversation with both sides of the conflict. Peskov, in turn, spoke about the pointlessness of holding a summit on Donbass with Russia, Ukraine and Turkey, since Moscow is not a party to the conflict.

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