Top Turkish diplomat reports discussing Ukraine with Russian deputy premier

ANKARA, September 20. /TASS/. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said he had recently met with a Russian deputy prime minister on the Turkish territory and discussed the Ukrainian conflict with him.

"The sides [Russia and Ukraine] have certain requirements and approaches to the subject of reconciliation. It would be wrong to say what each of the parties wants," he told Turkey’s NTV television. "Quite recently, a Russian deputy prime minister visited us, and we met last Friday. He conveyed Russia’s stance to us. We are currently in the process of assessing it."

He did not disclose the name of the Russian official but made it clear that security in the Black Sea and Turkey’s proposals were discussed during the talks.

At the same time, Fidan said that despite multiple initiatives that are being put forward by various parties "reaching an agreement is tough."

"At this point, reaching a durable result in this context appears to be a very difficult task. Nevertheless, we need to continue working in this direction," the top Turkish diplomat added.