Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will officially visit Ankara on Monday to discuss bilaterial and regional issues including Türkiye's contribution to ending the war in Ukraine.

On 24th February, marking the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Lavrov will held talks with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan discuss steps toward "a just and lasting peace through diplomatic efforts," recent U.S.-Russia contacts, and the potential contributions that Turkey can make to the process.

Turkish media outlets reported referring to an undisclosed diplomatic sources that Ankara will reaffirm its willingness to host future negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, as it did in March 2022.

On 18th February, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that Türkiye would be an ideal host for potential upcoming meetings between Moscow, Kyiv and Washington. At the joint press conference in Ankara with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Erdoğan emphasized that Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty are Türkiye's sine qua non.

"We hosted direct negotiations between the two countries (Russia and Ukraine) in Istanbul in March 2022. As a result of our engagements with both parties, we initiated the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Over the past three years, we have undertaken direct initiatives with Russia and Ukraine at all levels. Throughout these efforts, we have sincerely strived to be a reliable mediator for both sides and have achieved concrete results," he added.

Apart from Russia-Ukranian war, Lavrov and Fidan will discuss the ceasefire in Gaza and the situation in Syria, as well as bilateral cooperation in trade, energy, and tourism.

It is expected that Turkish FM will stress the need of preserving Syria's territorial integrity and political unity as well as starting Syria's reconstruction amind fully eradicating terrorist elements from the country.

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