The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, is expected in Moscow on Tuesday, then in kyiv on Thursday, to attempt mediation in the war that has hit Ukraine since February 24. Before his visit to Russia, António Guterres was in Ankara on Monday, where he was received by the Turkish president. For several weeks, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been trying to mediate in the conflict in Ukraine and facilitate humanitarian interventions.
With our correspondent in Istanbul, Anne Andlauer
For Antonio Guterres, expected in Moscow and kyiv, it was a question of taking stock of Turkish mediation efforts with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is personally involved in this file. The Turkish head of state also recalled that he had spoken on Sunday with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and announced that he would telephone Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
The UN Secretary General posted his ” support to Turkish diplomatic initiatives to bring the belligerents into dialogue. Recep Tayyip Erdogan meanwhile hailed the “ Istanbul process – as he renamed the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations held in Istanbul at the end of March and which could resume soon – calling them “the best solution to the crisis”.
The Turkish president also repeated his wish to “ to work with the United Nations for contribute to the evacuation of civilians and access for humanitarian aid ” in Ukraine. The Secretary General of the United Nations wants the creation of a ” humanitarian contact group bringing together Ukraine and Russia under the aegis of the United Nations, and whose meetings could be held in Turkey. A project that would confirm in the eyes of Ankara its position as a privileged intermediary between Moscow and kyiv.
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