Antalya Summit: No progress but further talks

Expectations for the meeting of foreign ministers Lavrov and Kuleba in Turkey were already low in the run-up: According to both sides, there was no progress in the talks, but efforts should continue.

For the first time since the beginning of the war, the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine spoke directly to each other: Sergey Lavrov and Dmytro Kuleba met in Antalya at the initiative of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. According to Kulebas, there was no decisive progress. It was also not possible to agree on humanitarian corridors for the city of Mariupol, Kuleba said after the meeting.

He is ready for another conversation in this format, his country is in favor of a balanced diplomatic solution. Moscow will “get no capitulation from Ukraine”. His impression is that Russia is currently not in a position to establish a ceasefire. The most difficult situation is currently in Mariupol. He hopes that escape corridors will be allowed for the city.

Kuleba called the conversation with his Russian counterpart easy and difficult at the same time: easy because Lavrov stuck to his traditional rhetoric, difficult because he did his best himself. The talks should continue.

Lavrov criticizes the West

Lavrov also said after the meeting that Russia wanted to continue negotiations with Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin also has nothing against meeting his Ukrainian colleague Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, “preparatory work” is required for this. In the conversation with Kuleba, he referred to his country’s proposals. We want an answer to that. Humanitarian issues were also discussed. His country’s military operation in Ukraine is proceeding according to plan, Lavrov continued. He accused the West of dangerous behavior: Ukraine was being supplied with deadly weapons and it was unclear who could get hold of the rocket launchers supplied. “We see how dangerous our Western colleagues, including the European Union, are now acting.”

According to his ministry, Kuleba presented three main demands from Ukraine at the meeting: “An immediate ceasefire, an improvement in the humanitarian situation in Mariupol, Kharkiv, Sumy, Volnovakha and other Ukrainian cities, and a withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.” The cities mentioned are all under heavy fire from Russian forces, trapping many civilians.

Selenskyj emphasized willingness to compromise

The Russian government recently spoke of “progress” in negotiations with the Ukrainian side and, unlike before, assured that it would not seek to overthrow the government in Kyiv. For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made clear his willingness to compromise and moved away from the call for his country to join NATO.

Prevent escalation

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly offered to mediate in the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv. Turkey is still able to talk “both with Ukraine and with Russia,” Erdogan stressed on Wednesday.