Turkey knows very well that it will never be admitted to the EU, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in an interview with the VGTRK broadcasting network.
He also said that Russia maintains a substantive agenda with Turkey, noting that “the ‘consequences resulting from its membership in NATO and its various commitments to the European Union are, in fact, inevitable.’”
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Mr. Lavrov was asked whether Russia could rely on Turkey’s proposed mediation in the Ukraine crisis at a time when Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was signing documents at the NATO summit regarding the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
“Turkey aspires to be both a NATO member with the bloc’s largest army and to maintain relations with the European Union, even though it knows full well that it will never be accepted into the EU,” Mr. Lavrov replied.
It also seeks, he added, “to cultivate strong relations with Russia, given our many joint economic projects and our shared history: that of the Caucasus and the Black Sea. Turkey is truly committed to ensuring stability in the Black Sea.”
For the time being, he noted, “our Turkish colleagues are once again proposing that some form of agreement be reached so that shipping is not subject to attacks. However, we were not the ones who initiated these hostilities.”
He said that when a Ukrainian drone strikes a Turkish cargo ship, a tanker, or a civilian vessel—and when the drones themselves repeatedly attack the infrastructure of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, directly targeting ships linked to the American companies Chevron and ExxonMobil, neither Turkey nor the United States publicly states that such actions by Ukrainian “terrorists,” as he put it, are unacceptable.
He also noted that regarding the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, “U.S. Vice President Vance conveyed a message to Zelenskyy.”
Our Turkish counterparts, he continued, “informed us that they, too, had told the Ukrainians not to target them. However, there is public silence on the matter. And that is particularly revealing,” he said.
Regarding Ukraine, he said that Russia does not refuse to hold a meeting with the advisors to the U.S. President, Steve Whitcomb and Jared Kushner, should they visit the country.
“We are not refusing to engage in dialogue with them. Should they choose to visit, they know very well that President Vladimir Putin is ready to receive them again. The crucial question is what they will bring to the table,” he said.
He recalled that when Steve Whitecoff visited the region a year ago, he conveyed proposals from President Donald Trump.
“President Vladimir Putin took them into consideration and, upon his arrival in Alaska, stated: ‘Donald, you sent us proposals. I’ve thought them over. There are issues that require compromise. But I accept your proposals as you have formulated them,” he said.
Mr. Lavrov went on to say that there was a pause, followed by the imposition of sanctions against Lukoil and Rosneft.
At the same time, he continued, the leaders of the European Union and NATO, along with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, rushed to Washington to meet with President Donald Trump, with the main goal of dissuading him from taking further initiatives.
The Russian Foreign Minister reported that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, responding to a reporter’s question regarding Anchorage, commented that, upon reflection, they were likely unable to act as mediators because they support Ukraine.
“However, two weeks later, he argued exactly the opposite: that, in any case, only President Donald Trump is capable of bringing Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table and reaching a settlement. “In other words, they are supporting Ukraine and providing weapons and intelligence,” Mr. Lavrov concluded.
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Source: KYPE
