Russia, Ukraine ‘willing to hold talks’ in Turkey: Turkish official

GBNews24 Desk//

Russia and Ukraine are willing to move forward with talks despite images of bodies found in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, but there are “issues pending”, a Turkish official said Friday.

“Both Russia and Ukraine are willing to hold the talks in Turkey but they are far away from agreeing on a common text,” the official said.

There are “some issues pending” including the status of the Donbas and Crimea regions as well as security guarantees, according to the official, who added there was no date fixed for the next round of negotiations.

Turkey, which hosted talks last week between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, has been mediating for an end to the conflict.

“We are the only country that can talk to both parties, the only country able to talk to Russia,” the official stressed.

Turkey has strong ties with both Russia and Ukraine. As a NATO member, it has supplied Kyiv with drones but has shied away from joining Western sanctions against Moscow.

“Imposing sanctions is not a good way to solve the issue,” the Turkish official said, adding that Ankara would only join UN sanctions.

The official said the most delicate issues were discussed in Istanbul between the two countries’ negotiators, without providing any details.

“We have some ideas about the content but is it a peace treaty? We cannot qualify the document.”

– ‘Guarantees’ –

According to the official, the two countries have “agreed on some issues” including the so-called de-Nazification, Ukraine’s neutrality and security guarantees.