Without giving details, Cavosoglu stated that the positions of both parties almost coincide on critical aspects, such as the first four points of the agreement, he said.

Negotiations between representatives of Moscow and Kiev began in Belarus on February 28th, four days after the announcement by President Vladimir Putin of a special operation in Ukraine to defend the rebel region of Donbass and demilitarize the country.

In addition, the purpose of the Russian war action is to denazify Ukraine, where a right-wing coup d’état took place in February 2014, with the support of neo-fascist paramilitaries, many of whom later formed part of the National Guard.

Ankara’s intention is to organize a meeting between Putin and the leaders of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, and Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a format similar to the one Cavosoglu recently held with his peers from the two states involved in the conflict.

At the time, Putin outlined the main demands to Kiev, such as the recognition of Russian jurisdiction over Crimea, the sovereignty of the republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, the neutrality of Ukraine and its disarmament, among other humanitarian aspects.

pgh/llp/mem