Turkey – Ukraine is ready for a diplomatic path; Russia renews its security demands

A round of talks between Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine, concluded in the Turkish city Antalya. Speaking at a news conference, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that he asked his Ukrainian counterpart to respond to his country's proposals for a solution, stressing Moscow's keenness to support any action regarding the Ukrainian crisis and to develop ways out of it. Lavrov added that Moscow does not reject any security guarantees provided by Ukraine, accusing what he described as Ukrainian nationalists of using civilians as human shields. He also criticized Western intimidation about the outbreak of a nuclear war, saying that this will not happen and he add that rumors about a possible Russian attack on the former Soviet Baltic republics are lies. Speaking separately, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba described his meeting with his Russian counterpart as difficult, stressing that his country is ready for the diplomatic path, and at the same time ready to defend its sovereignty. Request a story: [email protected]