Türkiye and US hold talks, Russia-Ukraine war among topics
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (Getty Images)
Official representatives of Türkiye and the United States held talks in Washington. Among the topics discussed was the war between Ukraine and Russia, reports Reuters.
According to the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, officials held several rounds of negotiations on such topics as:
- Syria;
- Ukraine;
- Gaza Strip;
- defense industry cooperation;
- energy;
- counterterrorism.
The minister added that the parties had achieved "a renewed psychology, a more positive agenda" for their future interactions.
"While managing the problems we face now, it is important to also realize the joint potential the two nations can create and the opportunities they can bring," he said.
As the media notes, Fidan also discussed with his American counterparts Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan ways to stop Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to him, Türkiye did not see this willingness from Kyiv and Moscow.
"We need a basis for talking, for this war to stop, and a dialogue to prevent worse crises, and we call for this," Fidan said.
Türkiye's stance on the war in Ukraine
At the end of February, the President of Türkiye stated that his country was once again ready to resume negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, which previously took place in Istanbul. Erdogan reminded of this initiative yesterday, March 8, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was visiting Türkiye. The leader of Ukraine noted that Kyiv did not see a place for representatives of Russia at this summit.
In February, Türkiye began working on a new mechanism for exporting Ukrainian grain to world markets after Russia withdrew from the grain deal last year. Meanwhile, Kyiv opened temporary corridors for civilian trading vessels.
On January 11, 2023, the Minister of Defense of Türkiye, Yaşar Güler, his Romanian counterpart Angel Tîlvăr, and the Deputy Minister of Defense of Bulgaria, Atanas Zapryanov, signed an agreement on demining the Black Sea.
