Turkey's Foreign Minister: diplomatic solution necessary as Ukraine and Russia have reached war limits
Ukraine and the Russia have reached the limits of what they can achieve through war; a diplomatic resolution now might be necessary, said Turkey's Foreign Affairs Minister, Hakan Fidan, as reported by Cafe Siyaset.
The comments were made during the third Antalya Diplomatic Forum, where pivotal issues were discussed by participants from 148 countries—among them 19 heads of state or government, two leaders of special administrative regions, and 52 foreign ministers.
One topical focus was Ukraine. Minister Fidan had recently met with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, to discuss the Caucasus, the Syrian crisis, the situation in the Black Sea, and events in Ukraine more broadly.
"Regarding Ukraine, we believe both parties have reached the limits of what warfare can achieve, and it's time to initiate ceasefire negotiations," the minister is quoted saying. "We now need to separately address the acknowledgement of occupation and call for a ceasefire."
On 3 March, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said that Russia saw no possibility for talks with Ukraine without Moscow's involvement. Galuzin claimed that discussions on resolving the 'Ukrainian crisis' must consider the Kremlin's interests and Moscow would not entertain other scenarios.
On 1 March, The Wall Street Journal said it reviewed a draft of a 2022 peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. No prohibitions concerning EU membership were discussed in the draft, but it highlighted Russian demands to limit the Ukrainian Armed Forces to 85,000 soldiers, 343 tanks, and 519 artillery units. There was also an insistence on Ukraine's refusal to join NATO.