Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers are expected to hold talks in Antalya, Turkey tomorrow.
Kiev has confirmed that a meeting between Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov will take place on the sidelines of a diplomatic forum in Turkey’s Antalya on Thursday so Moscow expects that the meeting will indeed be held, Mrs. Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Sputnik radio station on Wednesday.
"We believe that since Ukraine has confirmed it, the meeting will indeed take place, particularly because it was initiated by Turkey, the host of the event on the sidelines of which the meeting is expected to be held," she pointed out.
Mrs. Zakharova emphasized that Russia was making preparations for the talks but there was no need to rush things. She further added that Lavrov’s flight to Antalya was scheduled for Wednesday.
Lavrov and Kuleba are expected to meet on the sidelines of a diplomatic forum in Antalya on March 10, the meeting will also involve Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation based on a request from the heads of the breakaway regions in astern Ukraine. The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans to occupy Ukrainian territories and the goal was to demilitarize and denazify the country.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported on March 7 that the invasion has caused widespread and often indiscriminate damage, creating a humanitarian catastrophe that has left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians with no heat, water or electricity, and struggling to find a path to escape.
Officials at the United Nations reportedly said that in just 11 days of fighting, there have been 1,207 civilian casualties in Ukraine, including 406 fatalities. That includes 27 children killed and 42 children injured, and “countless more have been severely traumatized.” It is likely a vast undercount, according to officials.
