Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov warns Turkey about relations with Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has made a very harsh statement about the close relations between Turkey and Ukraine. His concerned statement started “Our Turkish friends…” and turned out to be a warning in the form of an advice.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov issued a stark warning after President Erdogan had announced last month that he would support Ukraine.

In the tension between Ukraine and Russia, President Erdogan had announced that he would support Kiev, saying that the foreign ministers and defense ministers of the two countries would meet and hold talks on cooperation in the defense industry.

Lavrov said to the Daily Aegumenty i Fakty “We strongly recommend that our Turkish friends carefully analyze the situation and stop taking steps that will fuel Kiev’s military thinking.”

TURKEY IS IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH BOTH COUNTRIES

“We hope Ankara will consider our legal concerns” Lavrov said, while adding Ukraine’s “aggressive” moves in Crimea, which Russia has annexed, should not be supported.

Turkey, like other NATO countries, had been critical of Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Ukraine and Russia have been experiencing tension since then, while Turkey sold a drone (unmanned aerial vehicle) to the Kiev administration in 2019. But on the other hand, Ankara had cooperated with Moscow in areas such as Syria, Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh.