Moscow has not received a proposal from Türkiye yet about hosting peace discussions with Ukraine and Western countries, a Russian official said Tuesday.
Russia has not yet heard a proposal from Turkey about hosting peace talks between Moscow and Western countries, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, as tensions continue to rise after more than seven months of the war in Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin is set to meet Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday, where the two have been tipped to discuss a Turkish proposal to host peace talks between Moscow and the West.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said during a briefing that no such proposal had been received through diplomatic channels but added that the situation was changing "dynamically."
Türkiye has been seen as a potential mediator between Russia and the West, and in July helped broker a deal to export Ukrainian grain blockaded in Black Sea ports. But Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that Ukraine and Russia have recently moved away from diplomacy and the peace process.
“Unfortunately both sides moved away from negotiations and the peace process. The balances have changed since both sides are pursuing gains on the field. The struggle for superiority is ongoing,” Çavuşoğlu said in a televised interview on TVNET.
The latest actions by Ukraine and Russia have "made the situation even more difficult," he stressed, saying both sides are aware of Türkiye's balanced policy regarding the situation.
Türkiye continues its diplomacy without disrupting its relations with Russia and Ukraine, the Turkish minister affirmed, adding that his country displays a position in line with international law.
He also stressed that everyone, especially Ukraine, is paying the price for ending the dialogue with Russia.
Türkiye carries out policies that aim to minimize the effects of war, Çavuşoğlu also said, and noted that there would have been no grain deal if Türkiye had joined the Western countries' position and sanctions against Russia.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier that Moscow was open to talks with the West on the Ukraine war but had yet to receive any serious proposal to negotiate.
