Abramovich working ‘sincerely’ to end the war in Ukraine, Turkey says
The Turkish foreign minister also announced he would visit Israel and Palestine next month
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich — sanctioned by multiple European countries — has been working “sincerely” to end the war in Ukraine, Turkey has said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Thursday that the oligarch had been liaising between Kyiv and Moscow since the invasion began on Febuary 24.
He told broadcaster A News: “Abramovich is making sincere efforts to end the war since the first day of the war. The whole world sees his efforts. Ukraine also said positive things about him.
“In fact, Abramovich’s name is not on this list of sanctioned oligarchs.”
Çavuşoğlu was speaking after Abramovich made a surprise appearance at Ukraine-Russia negotiations in Istanbul on Tuesday.
The minister said: “Of course, official talks are important, especially negotiations on paper are important, but public opinion is sensitive, everyone wants to maintain their position, and there are channels that should be kept open between leaders and countries.
Çavuşoğlu also said he would travel to Israel and Palestine with Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez in mid-May and would discuss the appointment of ambassadors with his Israeli counterpart during the visit.
He said a possible gas pipeline project between Turkey and Israel is not possible in the short-term and building an alternative system to cut Russian dependence will not happen quickly.
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