Turkey is not going to impose sanctions on Russia, but will instead work to maintain dialogue with the Kremlin, Turkey’s TRT Haber TV channel reported, citing Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesperson for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The official clarified that Ankara had no plans to impose sanctions on Russia, adding that the Turkish government was eager to keep the channel of trust open.
Kalin also pointed out that Turkey would want to avoid any negative repercussions for its own economy as a result of punitive measures.
While denouncing Russia’s offensive against its neighbor, Turkey, unlike most other NATO countries, has stopped short of slapping punitive measures on Russia.
Ankara instead is seeking to mediate between the two warring sides in the hope of brokering a peace deal, or at least a ceasefire.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told Turkish media on Friday that the alliance expects all our allies to impose sanctions on Russia, and that he conveyed this matter to Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu during their meeting in Antalya.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmitry Kuleba, in Antalya on Thursday. It was the first time the two diplomats had held discussions since Russia launched its military offensive against Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Although the talks failed to yield any breakthroughs, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted on Friday that there had been certain positive developments. The previous three rounds of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia had been held in Belarus.
President Erdogan presented the Lavrov-Kuleba meeting as a diplomatic victory per se, under the circumstances, in a phone call with US President Joe Biden.
The Turkish head of state also reiterated that Ankara’s role as a mediator between Kiev and Moscow was important in terms of preventing the armed conflict from intensifying even further.
Russia’s military offensive against Ukraine has seen the USA, Canada, EU, Japan, Australia and a few other countries impose a series of sanctions on Moscow intended to cripple the Russian economy and therefore its people.
RT. com / ABC Flash Point News 2022.
NATO military alliance have expanded in economic solidarity, too ? NATO is a fake defensive military alliance. IS offensive and the majority act like an obedient dog to the master the US. Is a whole bunch of bullies.
NATO countries have not being attacked, but comes to the defense of a non-NATO country. Why they don’t come to defense of Iraq, a country invaded by a fabricated Lie, or defend the oppression of the Palestinians ? Because they are not white with blue eyes ? You know what Im saying.
Good question, but like you most of us know the answer?
Who gave the politicians and their croonies the moral authority to command others? Above all without involving the voices of the Europeans Jens Stoltenberg ever so often, did or do not even consider to ask of their opinions!
As an instance, banning RT in the EU is an act of dictatorship and totalitarianism. People are literally commanded which channel they are allowed to watch!
As UK’s Ben Wallace declared, in order to have ‘one narrative’, it is of significance to ban RT! WTF!
Absolute bribery as the USA, UK and Israel run all the global institutions such as the World Bank, IMF, WHO, WTO and so on.