- TD Bank to pay more than $3 bn to US in money-laundering case
- SAfrica prosecutors drop criminal complaint against president
- 'Good opportunity': Nagelsmann upbeat despite Germany's long injury list
- Hurricane whips up bitter US election battle
- Cameroon bans media talk of president's health amid rumours
- NFL MVP Jackson and rookie phenom Daniels set for showdown
- Chad's capital under threat as floodwaters rise
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit central Beirut
- No answers on strike on reporters in Lebanon one year on: watchdog
- Ramharack picks four wickets as Windies beat Bangladesh in Women's T20 World Cup
- France's City of Light switches to climate-resilient power cables
- Djokovic hails Nadal 'legacy' as Alcaraz in 'shock' over retirement
- Obama hits campaign trail for Harris
- Delta eyes Election Day travel pullback as profits climb
- Djokovic tells Nadal: 'Your legacy will live forever'
- Ethel Kennedy, wife of RFK, dead at 96
- Zelensky denies ceasefire with Russia under discussion on trip
- Florida battered by hurricane, floods but spared 'worst-case scenario'
- After long fight for glory, Nadal leaves with a legacy of memories
- Home hopes Zheng and Wang through to last-eight in Wuhan Open
- UN peacekeepers say Israel fired on Lebanon HQ, injuring 2
- UK's William and Kate in first joint public engagement since cancer treatment
- Alcaraz out as top players pay tribute to Nadal at Shanghai Masters
- Racing's Farrell 'not thinking' about British and Irish Lions
- Alcaraz, Sinner pay tribute to 'unbelievable' Nadal at Shanghai Masters
- Over 200 women in legal talks with Harrods over Fayed abuse claims
- After K-pop, K-novels? South Korean Nobel win sparks joy, hope at home
- After Nadal exit, Djokovic left to rage against dying of the light
- A very stiff breeze: BBC says sorry for 20,000 kph wind forecast
- Triple centurion Brook happy to break Dad's club record
- Zelensky touts 'victory plan' against Russia in Macron talks
- Musk finally unveiling his long-promised robotaxi
- UN peacekeepers accuses Israel of firing on Lebanon HQ
- London's Frieze art fair goes potty for ceramics
- Southgate taking year out from coaching
- US, Europe stocks fall on US inflation data
- Zelensky meets Macron in Paris as part of European tour
- Hurricane Milton shreds Florida stadium roof
- UN probe accuses Israel of seeking to 'destroy' Gaza healthcare
- US consumer inflation eases to 2.4% in September
- England in sight of victory after Brook's triple hundred
- Juventus readmitted to ECA after failed Super League revolt
- World number 2 Alcaraz knocked out of Shanghai Masters by Machac
- Leaders of Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia meet amid regional tensions
- Klopp's Red Bull decision 'ruined life's work' say Dortmund fans
- Han Kang wins South Korea's first literature Nobel
- S. Korea's Nobel winner Han Kang a modest, thought-provoking writer
- Hurricane Milton tornadoes kill four in Florida amid rescue efforts
- The almost impossible job: Beating Rafael Nadal at the French Open
- New French government faces key test with budget plan
RBGPF | 4.03% | 63.35 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.12% | 24.55 | $ | |
RYCEF | 0% | 6.9 | $ | |
SCS | -3.58% | 12.58 | $ | |
CMSD | 0.08% | 24.7 | $ | |
BCC | -2.49% | 138.93 | $ | |
NGG | 0.42% | 65.91 | $ | |
RIO | 0.79% | 66.875 | $ | |
GSK | -2.72% | 39.175 | $ | |
AZN | -0.85% | 76.85 | $ | |
RELX | -0.69% | 46.39 | $ | |
BCE | -1.6% | 32.785 | $ | |
BP | 1.13% | 32.345 | $ | |
JRI | 0.03% | 13.224 | $ | |
VOD | -0.26% | 9.705 | $ | |
BTI | -0.75% | 35.215 | $ |
Turkey still hopes to host Russia, Ukraine talks after attacks
Turkey is pushing to revive talks between Russia and Ukraine stalled after atrocities were uncovered in Bucha and other regions near Kyiv, saying the two countries are still ready to meet on its soil.
The positive atmosphere that emerged after the Istanbul talks last week between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators were "overshadowed" by "shameful" images from Bucha, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.
Ankara assures that the two warring sides are still "willing to hold talks" in Turkey in a bid to move towards a solution to the six-weeks war.
"Both Russia and Ukraine are willing to hold the talks in Turkey but they are far away from agreeing on a common text," a high-ranking Turkish official told a small group of journalists on Friday.
There are "some issues pending" including the status of the Donbas and Crimea regions as well as security guarantees, according to the official, who added there was no date fixed for the next round of negotiations.
Turkey, which hosted talks last week between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, has been mediating for an end to the conflict.
"We are the only country that can talk to both parties, the only country able to talk to Russia," the official stressed.
"We are not proposing anything but we are trying to facilitate what they are discussing."
- 'Guarantees' -
Turkey has strong ties with both Russia and Ukraine. As a NATO member, it has supplied Kyiv with drones but has shied away from joining Western sanctions against Moscow.
"Imposing sanctions is not a good way to solve the issue," the Turkish official said, adding that Ankara would only join UN sanctions.
The official said the most delicate issues were discussed in Istanbul between the two countries' negotiators, without providing any details.
After the negotiators met in Istanbul on March 29, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan placed phone calls to Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Volodmyr Zelensky, renewing his invitation to host a leaders' summit.
A senior Western source referred to the existence of a "peace treaty" being negotiated between Moscow and Kyiv where the status of the Donbas and Crimea regions remain to be defined.
The Turkish official close to the talks said: "We have some ideas about the content but is it a peace treaty? We cannot qualify the document."
According to the Turkish official, the two countries have "agreed on some issues" including the so-called de-Nazification, Ukraine's neutrality and security guarantees.
But they have to define the security guarantees because some countries "are concerned this could lead to direct confrontation with Russia," the official said.
"There are some legal issues to be solved as part of guarantors."
- Russia's UN veto power -
At the earlier peace talks in Istanbul, Ukrainian negotiators said Kyiv was ready to accept neutrality in return for security guarantees to be provided by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council as well as some other countries including Turkey, Germany, Canada and Israel.
Ukrainian negotiators have compared the security guarantees they want to the NATO treaty's Article 5 where members agree to come to the defence of one another in case of military aggression.
For its part, Moscow has demanded "the unanimity of all guarantors" for any decision, according to the Western source, deeming it "unacceptable" for Kyiv because with Russia holding the veto-power the same as in the UN Security Council.
Turkey has stepped up diplomacy from the first days of the war -- and even before, when the crisis was brewing, with Erdogan offering good offices without alienating Russia, according to the Turkish official.
Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers also met in southern Turkish province of Antalya in March, ahead of the technical negotiations in Istanbul.
On March 31, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had said the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers could meet within two weeks.
But while Russia had pledged in Istanbul to scale down its military activity on the ground, the images that emerged from Bucha last weekend and a fatal rocket attack on Friday on a train station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk have cast a shadow on the peace talks, according to the Turkish government.
An official cited an ancient proverb, saying: "If you go to bed with a Russian, don't forget your knife."
A.Rodriguezv--AMWN