LVIV, Ukraine 

Hopes for a cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia have increased a little more, Turkiye’s foreign minister said Thursday after meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart in the city of Lviv.

As part of Turkiye’s ongoing efforts to broker peace between the two sides, Mevlut Cavusoglu arrived in Ukraine after talks a day earlier with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.

In his meeting with Dmytro Kuleba, Cavusoglu reiterated Turkiye’s “support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine” and reaffirmed that Ankara will continue its “efforts to end this war and achieve a lasting cease-fire,” said a Foreign Ministry statement.

Addressing a news conference, he said Turkiye’s support for Ukraine was a natural result of its principled policy, alliance and strategic partnership.

“We held our strategic planning meeting here in Lviv…We wanted to come to Lviv, especially during these difficult days, to show our support to our strategic partner Ukraine,” he said.

He said the “entire world was witnessing the struggle of Ukraine and its people against this war.”

According to Cavusoglu, Ukraine has asked Turkiye to be one of the guarantors regarding security aspects of a possible deal and Russia has no objection over any such arrangement.

Cavusoglu said a meeting between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine could materialize if the two sides agree on certain issues over which Ankara feels rapprochement may be possible.

“It is difficult to say when the meeting will take place because both leaders need to be ready for it…Grounds for the meeting need to be prepared, and they will determine the date,” he said, emphasizing that the most important thing was “to reach an agreement that is acceptable for both states.”

He emphasized that the war, bloodshed and tears must be stopped as soon as possible, reiterating that Turkiye has been making intense efforts to make that happen since the very first day.

“For this, we brought my friend Kuleba and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov together in Antalya. I would like to thank Kuleba for his constructive approach at that meeting,” said Cavusoglu.

He was referring to a meeting between Lavrov and Kuleba hosted by Turkiye in Antalya last week, which was the first high-level interaction between Russia and Ukraine since the start of the war.

Cavusoglu said he had briefed Kuleba “about the matters addressed and impressions gained” during his talks with Lavrov in Moscow on Wednesday.

“It’s difficult to say anything definite about the war. But as a result of my visits, I can say that our hopes for a cease-fire have increased a little more,” he added.

Turkiye is hopeful “that an immediate humanitarian cease-fire will first be achieved in Mariupol,” he said, adding this could lead to a permanent truce and end to the war.

The Turkish minister said Ankara has “received a lot of support from the Ukrainian administration” in its efforts to evacuate citizens from Ukraine.

“Currently, we have more than 100 (Turkish) citizens in the Mariupol region,” he said, stressing that their evacuation was an urgent priority for Ankara.

Cavusoglu also met “kinsmen at the Crimean Tatar Coordination Center in Lviv, and stressed that our support for the safety and well-being of our kinsmen would continue,” according to the Foreign Ministry statement.

Ukraine sees Turkiye as a guarantor

For his part, Kuleba said Ukraine will continue efforts to end the war as soon as possible.

He said a 15-point memorandum of understanding, which was reported by various media outlets and claimed that Turkiye would act as a guarantor, “was basically a document containing the wishes of Russia.”

“Ukraine, even before the war started, proposed that a meeting should be held with the permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Turkiye and Germany,” he said.

Ukraine “naturally sees Turkiye among the countries we want as a guarantor,” he added.

“Turkiye is a country with great authority and prestige, and one that provides stability in the Black Sea region,” he said.

He expressed gratitude for Turkiye’s political and humanitarian support, as well as its ongoing diplomatic efforts to “end Russia’s devastating war against Ukraine.”

Kuleba expressed similar views in comments before the meeting, voicing appreciation for Turkiye’s efforts to broker peace between Kyiv and Moscow.

He said Cavusoglu’s commitment, courage, and personal visit to Lviv had proven that Turkiye is an active player and that “it is ready to invest to ensure peace.”

Kuleba said he has maintained close contact with Cavusoglu throughout the crisis.

Ukraine and its people appreciate the “principled position” that Turkiye has taken since the start of the war, he added.

The Russia-Ukraine war has drawn widespread international condemnation, led to financial restrictions on Moscow, and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.

At least 780 civilians have been killed and 1,252 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, according to the UN, which has said that conditions on the ground make it difficult to verify the true number.

More than 3.16 million people have also fled to neighboring countries, according to the UN refugee agency.