Despite the urging of the entire bloc, NATO countries “firmly” did not punish Russia
Turkey’s TRT Haber TV channel quoted Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as saying that Turkey would not impose sanctions on Russia but would instead work to defend it. Called the Kremlin.
The official clarified that Ankara has no plans to “impose sanctions on Russia”, adding that the Turkish government wants to “keep the channel of trust open.” Kalin also pointed out that Turkey wants to avoid any negative impact on its own economy as a result of the sanctions.
While condemning Russia’s attacks on its neighbors, Turkey, unlike most other NATO countries, has stopped short of imposing sanctions on Russia. Instead, Ankara is seeking to mediate between the two warring parties in the hope of brokering a peace deal, or at least a ceasefire.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told Turkish media on March 11 that the alliance expects “all our allies to impose sanctions” on Russia and that he had “inquired about this” with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu during their meeting in Antalya.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also held a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmitry Kuleba, in Antalya on March 10. It is the first time the two diplomats have held discussions since Russia launched a military offensive into Ukraine on February 24.
Although the talks did not reach any breakthroughs, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted on March 11 that there had been “certain positive progress.” The previous three rounds of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia were held in Belarus.
In a phone call with US President Joe Biden, President Erdogan described the Lavrov-Kuleba meeting as a diplomatic victory in this situation. The Turkish leader also reiterated that Ankara’s role as a mediator between Kiev and Moscow is crucial in preventing armed conflict from escalating.
After Russia launched a military campaign against Ukraine, the US, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Australia and a number of other countries imposed a series of sanctions on Moscow to “cripple” the Russian economy.
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