Ready To Meet Russian Foreign Minister In Turkey, Ukrainian Foreign Minister: If You Start Absurd Propaganda, I Will Make It Clear

Menlu Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba. (Wikimedia Commons / Eduard Kryzhanivsky)

JAKARTA - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba confirmed he will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, this week following Turkey's proposal to unite the two top diplomats amid continuing tensions.

"Currently the meeting is planned for 10 (March). Let's see, if he flies to Antalya, then I will fly too. Let's sit down, let's talk," Kuleba said in a video message, quoted from Daily Sabah March 9.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavuşoğlu previously said both sides were expected to be in the Turkish city of Antalya on March 10. The talks will be held in a trilateral format.

"If Lavrov is ready for serious talks, we will talk from diplomat to diplomat. But if Lavrov starts repeating the absurd propaganda that has been hurled lately, I will give him the firmness of truth he deserves," Kuleba stressed.

The diplomat said his country was also not closed to direct talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Expressing hope that the meeting "will be a turning point" and an "important step" towards peace and stability, Turkey's foreign minister said on Monday that Ankara would "continue to make efforts for lasting peace."

Turkey has sought to mediate between Russia and Ukraine and offered on several occasions to host talks.

Maintaining its neutral and balanced stance, Turkey continued its diplomatic efforts to defuse the Ukraine conflict, urging all sides to exercise restraint. While Ankara opposes international sanctions designed to isolate Moscow, it also closed the Bosphorus and Dardanelles under a 1936 pact, which allowed it to prevent some Russian ships from crossing the Turkish Strait.

To note, under the 1936 Montreux Convention, NATO member Turkey has control over the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits that connect the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. The pact gives Ankara the power to regulate the transit of naval warships and close the strait to foreign warships during times of war and when threatened.

NATO ally Turkey borders Ukraine and Russia on the Black Sea and has good relations with both. Since the beginning of the conflict, Ankara has offered to mediate between the two sides and host peace talks, underscoring its support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Recently branding the Russian invasion an unacceptable violation of international law, Turkey has carefully formulated its rhetoric not to offend Moscow, with which it has close ties.

Last week, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in which he told the Russian leader that Turkey is ready to contribute to the solution of the Ukraine problem by peaceful means as soon as possible.

Stressing that an urgent general ceasefire would not only reduce humanitarian problems in the region but also provide an opportunity to seek a political solution, President Erdogan repeated his call to "pave the way for mutual peace."

In addition, President Erdogan stressed the importance of taking urgent steps to ensure a ceasefire, open humanitarian corridors, and sign a peace agreement.