Turkish president to meet Ukrainian, Russian delegations before talks in Istanbul

ANKARA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday he will meet with the negotiation teams of Ukraine and Russia on Tuesday before their next round of talks in Turkey's Istanbul city.

"We will have a short meeting with the delegations tomorrow morning," Erdogan said at a press conference after a cabinet meeting.

Turkey is "almost the only country that makes sincere efforts to resolve the ongoing crisis between Ukraine and Russia through dialogue," he said.

Erdogan emphasized that his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky are "progressing positively."

He also suggested that some circles were trying to make Turkey a side of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

"One will not be able to prevent Turkey, which has fair and sincere stance, from becoming a bridge of peace, tranquility and trust in its region and the world," Erdogan said, without naming any party or country.

"We know that those who work to make our country a side of the war in the Russia-Ukraine crisis are watching the bridge of peace we have built with a squeeze of heart," he added.

In a phone call on Sunday, Erdogan and Putin agreed to hold the next round of Ukrainian and Russian talks in Istanbul.

The delegations will hold the face-to-face negotiations on March 29-30, Vladimir Medinsky, head of Russia's negotiation team, said on Sunday.

Since Feb. 28, Russia and Ukraine have held three rounds of face-to-face peace talks and then a series of online discussions but have failed to reach a major agreement.