Top Turkish and the United States officials on Monday discussed the latest developments in Ukraine and agreed to intensify efforts for talks between Kyiv and Moscow to yield a cease-fire.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and his American counterpart Antony Blinken in a phone call discussed issues related to the humanitarian situation, evacuations and the cease-fire in Ukraine, a statement by the Foreign Ministry said.
For his part, Blinken said on Twitter he reaffirmed U.S. condemnation of Russia’s actions and “emphasized that we will continue our close coordination in support of Ukraine, its sovereignty, and territorial integrity.”
Also on Twitter, Çavuşoğlu said they discussed recent developments in war-torn Ukraine and the humanitarian situation there, and that they both emphasized the importance of a cease-fire.
The first round of Ukraine-Russia talks aimed at ending the fighting concluded with no immediate agreements on Monday, and both delegations returned home for consultations in their capitals.
Early Monday night, Mykhailo Podolyak, a top adviser to Ukraine’s president, said the talks were focused on a possible cease-fire and that a second round could take place “in the near future.” The talks were held near the Ukraine-Belarus border.
The negotiations were the first face-to-face talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials since the war began last Thursday.
The U.N. human rights chief said at least 102 civilians have been killed and hundreds wounded in more than four days of fighting — warning that figure is probably a vast undercount — and Ukraine’s president said at least 16 children were among the dead.
More than half a million people have fled the country since the invasion, another U.N. official said, with many of them going to Poland, Romania and Hungary. And millions have left their homes.
Separately, senior advisers for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Joe Biden also agreed on Monday to intensify efforts for a cease-fire between Kyiv and Moscow.
In a phone call, Ibrahim Kalın, Erdoğan’s chief adviser and presidential spokesperson, and U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan discussed the invasion and other regional issues, a statement said.
“It was agreed to intensity joint efforts for peace talks being held between Ukraine and the Russian Federation to yield results and for a cease-fire to be achieved.”
Prior to his talks with Sullivan, Kalın had a phone call with Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.
The two discussed the situation in Ukraine and negotiations between the two countries.
The statement said the sides agreed to increase joint efforts to end the conflict and tensions, stressing the importance of diplomatic initiatives to achieve results and the successful conclusion of ceasefire negotiations for the peace and stability of the region.
