Turkey 'shouldn't feed Kyiv's militaristic segments,' Lavrov says

Responding to Turkey's recent sale of armed drones to Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on April 12 that Kyiv's "militant tendencies shouldn't be fed." Lavrov's comments came two days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a delegation of high-ranking Ukrainian officials in Istanbul.

Monday April 12 2021 04:29 pm

Duvar English

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on April 12 that no country should "feed Ukraine's militant tendencies," particularly responding to a question about Turkey's recent sale of armed drones to Kyiv.

"We strongly recommend that all responsible nations which we are in contact with - among them Turkey, that they analyze the situation, the never-ending militaristic statements by the regime in Kyiv. We warn them against feeding these militaristic sentiments," Lavrov was quoted as saying by Sputnik, while speaking to reporters in Cairo after meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry.

Ukrainian naval chief Aleksey Neizhpapa met with Haluk Bayraktar, the CEO of Turkish defense company Baykar, in the port city of Odessa in January, where the two discussed Turkish unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, being supplied to Ukraine.

Neizhpapa was quoted as saying that this year the Ukrainian Navy will buy the UAVs with advanced features, which will operate both onshore and offshore.

Bayraktar said they will provide the latest technology to Ukraine, and share their experiences with Ukrainian partners.

Baykar is the producer of drones including the famed Bayraktar TB2, which has made its name in the world’s arms industry and on various battlefields from Libya to Syria, and most recently in Azerbaijan.

Lavrov's comments came two days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a delegation of high-ranking Ukrainian officials in Istanbul.

Speaking at a news conference alongside Zelenskiy, Erdoğan said on April 10 he hoped the conflict between Kyiv and Moscow over the conflict in Donbass would be resolved peacefully, through dialogue based on diplomatic customs, in line with international laws and Ukraine's territorial integrity.

Erdoğan also said Turkey was ready to provide all forms of support aimed at settling the conflict and that it would refuse to recognize Russia's 2015 annexation of Crimea, which was part of Ukraine.