Russia, Ukraine FMs meeting on agenda: Ankara
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Turkey is hoping to host further talks between Russia and Ukraine in light of the Ukraine crisis, but it is also seeking to replace Moscow in the European energy market.
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Turkish Presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin
The meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine was on the agenda, Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin said Friday, stressing that they were necessary for initialing the agreements reached.
"During the talks between Mr. President and his colleagues from Ukraine and Russia, an agreement was reached to continue contacts in this context. Here work is being done both by our foreign minister, defense minister, and administrations," Kalin told TRT.
"The meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine to initial the agreements is on the agenda, which will already be presented to the leaders," he added.
However, he said, it was still too early to schedule a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul, as there were still too many issues on the table.
EU dependence on Russian gas to last another decade
Kalin also said that the European Union's dependence on Russian gas would at least last for a decade amid tensions between Moscow and Brussels over gas and energy.
"In the next 10 years, this issue will be relevant, more precisely, within 10 years," Kalin said.
"If we talk about alternatives, then, as you know, Turkey and Azerbaijan have implemented the TANAP project [Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline], its expansion can be considered as an alternative. Connection of various sources here is possible through the territory of Turkey," Kalin said.
The fighting between Russia and the EU over energy last saw the former's energy giant, Gazprom, quitting the German market and ending its participation in Gazprom Germania and all of its assets, including subsidiaries in several European countries.
The tensions between Russia and the West are over its special military operation in Ukraine, which it launched over the NATO's expansion, the Ukrainian shelling of Donbass, and the killing of the people of the Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic, in addition to Moscow wanting to "denazify" and demilitarize Ukraine.
In response, the US and its allies have rolled out comprehensive sanctions, including restrictions on the Russian central bank, export control measures, SWIFT cutoff for select banks, and closure of airspace to all Russian flights. Many of their companies have suspended their Russian operations.
