Russian Foreign Ministry names condition for third countries to mediate on Ukraine

For mediation on Ukraine, countries should be equidistant in the conflict. This was stated by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin at a meeting with Turkish Ambassador to Moscow Tanju Bilgic on January 27.

"The situation around Ukraine has been substantively discussed. <...> Ankara was pointed out that the countries claiming to play the role of mediators in the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis should adhere to the principle of equidistance and not associate themselves with one of the parties to the conflict," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement following the meeting posted on its website.

In addition, the Russian side said it was open to realistic peace initiatives and cooperation proposals.

"In this context, the efforts of the Group of Friends of the peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis were noted," the statement said.

In addition, there was an exchange of views on the situation in the Transcaucasus.

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Earlier, on January 18, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that the country was ready to act as an intermediary in the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis if the appropriate conditions arise. He stressed that Turkey had been in favor of a peaceful settlement "from the first day" of the conflict.

On 12 January, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the situation around Ukraine with his Turkish counterpart. On 2 January, the Turkish minister said that the country was in favor of an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine.

Back in November, Lavrov said that Moscow appreciated Ankara's efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. On October 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine had already twice approached the Russian Federation with proposals using Turkey as a mediator. At the same time, when the Russian side agreed, Kiev immediately abandoned its own initiatives.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced by the Russian president on February 24, 2022, is still ongoing. The decision was taken against the background of the worsening situation in the region.