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ANKARA | Xinhua | Russia remains open to negotiations on ending the Ukraine conflict, but will not stop its military operations until those negotiations “produce a firm and sustainable result that suits” Russia, visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said here Monday.
“During the talks in Riyadh, different perspectives emerged, but we will continue discussions with our American counterparts,” Lavrov said at a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Lavrov was referring to the high-level Russia-U.S. talks he attended last week in Saudi Arabia, which marked the first face-to-face interaction between senior U.S. and Russian officials since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis three years ago.
Lavrov announced a new round of Russia-U.S. talks this week to start embassy operations. “I hope we will not face artificial obstacles,” he said.
In April 2022, a settlement agreement on the Ukraine conflict was nearly finalized in Istanbul, but then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson blocked it, Lavrov noted, accusing Western countries of trying to weaken Russia.
For his part, Fidan said Türkiye is closely monitoring the security guarantees in the ongoing diplomatic efforts concerning the Ukraine conflict, and is committed to facilitating peace talks in this regard.
“We are ready to provide all necessary support for establishing peace through negotiations, just as we have done before,” he said.
He also underscored the alignment between Türkiye and Russia in countering separatist movements in Syria, as well as their mutual stance on regional security issues. ■
