A tripartite peace summit was held in Antalya with the participation of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. After the meeting, the leaders held a press conference.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, “We talked about the ceasefire. The 24-hour ceasefire is the most important issue. There has been no progress. We will do our best for peace. Mr. Lavrov also expressed his views. It was not easy to listen to what he had to say. I was reminded many times of humanitarian issues. Russia does not seem likely to declare a ceasefire at this time. Ukraine continues to fight strong,” he said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, “We are ready for a solution, we are ready to seek a solution. These talks we are having in Turkey right now should be beneficial, but at the same time, this situation should not be abused by our Ukrainian counterparts. Talking about the initiatives of the Russian side, Lavrov said, “We open corridors for the evacuation of people every day, and we still continue to implement this. The forces overseeing the situation on the ground are conducting safe evacuations,” he said. Lavrov added that President Putin did not refuse to meet with Zelensky, but that certain preparations must be made before that happens.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said, “It was a polite meeting. We said that the civilians caught in the middle of the war should be rescued as soon as possible,” he said. Çavuşoğlu added that the ceasefire should be coordinated and the aim should be to restore peace and stability in the region.