Turki accuse some members NATO want war in Ukraine continue to last longer to weaken Russia.
“There are countries within NATO that want the war to continue,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told CNN Turki in an interview Wednesday.
“They want Russia to be weaker,” Cavusoglu added.
Even so, quoted AFPCavusoglu did not name the countries he claimed wanted the war in Ukraine to last longer.
Cavusoglu made the remarks when negotiations between Russia and Ukraine hit a stalemate after the last talks in Istanbul in March.
Moscow and Kyiv also accuse each other of provoking the situation so that negotiations do not go smoothly.
Cavusoglu said Turkey had originally expected the Russo-Ukrainian war to not last this long after the peace talks in Istanbul.
“But after the meeting of NATO foreign ministers, there was the impression that… there are NATO member states who want the war to continue, let the war continue and Russia is getting weaker,” Cavusoglu said.
The Russian-Ukrainian delegation made a breakthrough during talks in Istanbul on March 29. During the talks, Ukrainian officials signaled their readiness to negotiate the “neutral status” that Russia has been demanding. At the same time, Ukraine also demands security guarantees for their country.
Russia, meanwhile, has pledged to significantly reduce its military activities against Ukrainian cities such as Kyiv and Chernihiv. This was done by Moscow to build Ukraine’s confidence for future negotiations.
As one of the Russian-Ukrainian mediators, Turkey also plans to hold a high-level meeting between President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In this regard, Cavusoglu said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in constant contact with Putin and Zelenskyy.
“President Erdogan will speak with these leaders again in the coming days. I spoke with (Russian Foreign Minister Sergey) Lavrov today and with (Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro) Kuleba yesterday,” Cavusoglu added.
The Putin-Zelenskyy meeting in Turkiye is still being negotiated, Cavusoglu said.
“In principle, they both say positive things about meeting when the conditions are right,” he was quoted as saying Anadolu.
Turkey’s accusations related to several NATO members emerged when Russia was still attacking Ukraine all-out, especially in the eastern region of the former Soviet Union.
It’s been almost two months since Russia invaded Ukraine. Instead of stopping the onslaught, Russia has intensified its attacks in eastern Ukraine, especially the Donbas, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Mariupol areas in what they call the ‘second phase of the war’.
Explosions continue to be heard every day and even hours until the death toll continues to fall, including civilians and children.
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