Turkey's technico-military cooperation with Ukraine is puzzling, considering Ankara's desire to be a mediator in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated in an interview with Hurriyet daily of Turkey.

"Unfortunately, Ankara continues to cooperate with the Kiev regime in the technico-military domain. Turkish weapons are used by the armed forces of Ukraine to kill Russian soldiers and civilians. This cannot help but cause bewilderment amid the Turkish leadership's statements about its readiness to provide mediation services [to Russia and Ukraine]," the Russian FM said.

Lavrov noted, however, that Russia highly appreciates Turkey's efforts to help resolve the Ukrainian crisis.

"It was the Turkish side that provided a platform for consultations with representatives of Kiev in Istanbul in the spring of 2022 and contributed to the signing of the grain deal. The Istanbul negotiations were ‘buried’ by the Anglo-Saxons, forbidding [Ukrainian President] Vladimir Zelensky to sign agreements that could have stopped the fighting and ensure the balance of the interests of the parties involved," the Russian FM reminded.

02.11.2024 09:16