Russia, Ukraine diplomats arrive in Turkey for talks
Turkey pushes for talks between the Russian Foreign Minister and his Ukrainian counterpart in Ankara.
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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
The foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine have arrived in Turkey for talks set for Thursday morning, officials said. This marks the first high-level contact between the two sides since Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine.
Officials from Kiev and Moscow have met in Belarus on several occasions, but the meeting in Antalya, Turkey, is the first time Russia dispatches a minister to resolve the crisis.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had landed in Antalya for talks on Russia ending its operation in Ukraine, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko tweeted on Wednesday evening.
His Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov has also arrived for the talks, a Turkish official told AFP.
Dialogue between Kiev and Moscow has so far provided several local ceasefires and humanitarian corridors to evacuate residents, however, Ukraine has earlier rejected some of the corridors proposed by Russia.
Moreover, three rounds of talks took place in Belarus between the two to discuss political, humanitarian, and military issues during the talks.
Turkey mediates
The talks have been arranged as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan desperately seeks for Ankara to play a mediation role.
"We are working to stop this crisis from transforming into a tragedy," Erdogan said Wednesday.
"I hope the meeting between the ministers will open the way to a permanent ceasefire."
The Russian and Ukrainian ministers will meet at Thursday's meeting mediated by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, amid Turkey's keenness to maintain strong relations between both parties.
This is the first trip for Lavrov since Russia was harshly isolated by the Western world with draconian sanctions that have also targeted the president's long-serving top diplomat.
