2023-07-09 17:15:58
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had a telephone conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. The conversation took place at the initiative of the Turkish side, says in a statement on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
It notes that the parties “exchanged views on the regional agenda with an emphasis on recent events around Ukraine”, including the return to Ukraine from Turkey of the commanders of the Azov battalion (recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia and banned) and “continuation of the supply of military equipment to the Kiev regime” . “Relevant steps, as was emphasized, can only lead to negative consequences,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Lavrov and Fidan also discussed “prospects for further cooperation on issues related to ensuring global food security.” Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry admitted that the grain deal concluded between Russia, Turkey and Ukraine might end on July 18, since the agreements on it are not being implemented.
In addition, during the call, the ministers discussed “certain aspects of Russian-Turkish bilateral cooperation, including a schedule of upcoming contacts,” the statement said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier that Russian President Vladimir Putin would visit the country in August, one of the topics of negotiations with which would be the exchange of prisoners with Ukraine. Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov declaredthat “contacts are possible”, but “there are no exact dates yet.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the return to Ukraine from Turkey of five commanders of the Azov regiment. “We are returning home from Turkey and returning our heroes home,” he wrote on Telegram. Prior to this, Zelensky held talks in Istanbul with Erdogan.
The commanders of the Azov Battalion came to Turkey from Russian captivity as part of an exchange in September 2022. The Russian Defense Ministry then reported that 55 Russian soldiers had returned to the country from Ukraine. The Ukrainian authorities talked regarding the exchange of 215 Ukrainians, including 108 Azov fighters. At the same time, Zelensky noted that, under the terms of the deal, five battalion commanders would remain in Turkey until the end of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Peskov, commenting on the return of the Azov commanders, announced a violation of the agreements. “The return of the Azov leaders from Turkey to Ukraine is nothing more than a direct violation of the terms of the existing agreements. Moreover, in this case, the conditions were violated by both the Ukrainian side and the Turkish side. <...> According to the terms of the agreements, these leaders were supposed to be on the territory of the Turkish Republic until the end of the conflict, ”said the Kremlin spokesman.
He added that no one informed Russia regarding the transfer of Azov commanders to Ukraine. In his opinion, Turkey was forced to take this step on the eve of the NATO summit in Vilnius once morest the backdrop of Ukraine’s “failures” in the counteroffensive.
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