It will undoubtedly take decades to “restore trust” between Western countries and Russia, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said today, according to AFP.
“It will take time to restore all this. It will probably take decades to restore trust,” Cavusoglu said, adding that “we are witnessing the beginning of a new Cold War.”
Turkey, a member of NATO and an ally of Ukraine, to which it supplies combat drones, has been working through Moscow and Kyiv since the beginning of the conflict. She refused to join Western sanctions against Russia, wanting to maintain an open line of communication with the Kremlin.
“Despite the developments on the ground, we believe that there is still room for diplomacy,” Cavusoglu told a news conference in Ankara today with his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Siyarto.
Cavusoglu said “rapid measures must be taken to cease fire” between Kyiv and Moscow.
Turkey has twice held direct talks between the two warring parties: on March 10 in Antalya at the level of foreign ministers and on March 29 in Istanbul between the negotiating teams of the two countries.