Top US, Ukrainian diplomats discuss trilateral meeting held in Turkiye

By Kasim Ileri

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US secretary of state spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart and discussed the trilateral meeting between Turkiye, Russia, and Ukraine that took place in the Turkish southern Antalya province on Thursday.

In a push for peace in the region, Turkiye's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday had met with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts in Antalya.

In a statement on Friday, Ned Price, a State Department spokesman, said that Antony Blinken reiterated his country’s “commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to continue surging security, economic, and humanitarian support to the people of Ukraine.”

Blinken also updated his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on the joint actions the US is taking in coordination with the G7 and the EU to “further raise the costs on Russia.”

The two agreed that Russia is “escalating its disinformation campaigns to deceive the world, including at the United Nation,” the statement said.

“The Secretary provided an update on U.S. and global efforts to hold Russia accountable for its premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustifiable war against Ukraine and to hold Belarus accountable for its facilitation of Russia’s combat operations,” it added.

At least 564 civilians have been killed and 957 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war on Feb. 24, the UN said, while indicating that conditions on the ground make it difficult to verify the true number.

More than 2.5 million people have fled to neighboring countries, with about 2 million more estimated to be displaced inside Ukraine, according to the UN refugee agency.

*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk in Ankara​​​​​​​