Erdoğan to urge Putin to ’end war immediately’

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will urge his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a call on March 6 to "end this war immediately" after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the Turkish leader’s spokesman said.

"The president will convey to him the message that we have repeated from the start: end this war immediately, give the ceasefire and negotiations a chance, establish a humanitarian corridor and carry out evacuations," Ibrahim Kalın told the private NTV broadcaster on March 5. 

The Turkish leader will also seek talks "at the leaders’ level" between Russia and Ukraine that could take place in Turkey, Kalın added.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu expressed hope Friday for a meeting with his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in southern Turkey on March 11-13.

Çavuşoğlu’s invitation was welcomed by Russia’s ambassador at the United Nations in Geneva, Gennady Gatilov, who described a possible meeting of the two ministers as a "good idea", agencies reported.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed he would attend the forum, Çavuşoğlu said.

"We think that these meetings will have a positive impact. In particular, a meeting at the leaders’ level could prevent the war causing greater destruction," Kalın said.

Kalın described Russia’s conditions for the conflict’s end as "unrealistic" but said "negotiations and diplomacy exist for that" reason.

"We have good relations at the same time with Ukraine and Russia. We can’t give up on either."