No Truce Agreed By Russia, Ukraine In Turkey Talks

Talks between Russia and Ukraine's foreign ministers on Thursday made no apparent progress towards a ceasefire in the two-week-old conflict or on a humanitarian corridor from the southern Ukrainian port of Mariupol, Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ece Toksabay reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba

Ukraine's Dmytro Kuleba said after the talks that he had sought a 24-hour ceasefire across the whole combat zone as well as the opening of a Mariupol corridor, but that his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov did not commit to either.

Kuleba told the New York Times that “we did not make progress” in reaching a cease-fire, but “agreed to continue efforts to seek a solution to the humanitarian issues on the ground.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated that Moscow’s position on the invasion it launched was far from softening. Lavrov said he reminded Kuleba that Moscow had presented proposals to Kyiv and that Russia wanted to see what he called a friendly, demilitarized Ukraine.

In other words, Russia wants Ukraine to capitulate, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country would not negotiate on bended knees.

The meeting, in the southern Turkish resort of Antalya was the highest-level contact between the two sides since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. It lasted just under an hour and a half.

Both Kuleba and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who hosted the talks, said it was not an easy meeting.

"I made a simple proposal to Minister Lavrov: I can call my Ukrainian ministers, authorities, president now and give you 100% assurances on security guarantees for humanitarian corridors," Kuleba told a news conference.

"I asked him 'Can you do the same?' and he did not respond."

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic