ISTANBUL, March 20, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - Turkey on Sunday said Russia and 
Ukraine made progress on their negotiations to halt the invasion and the two 
warring sides were close to an agreement. 

"Of course, it is not an easy thing to come to terms with while the war is 
going on, while civilians are killed, but we would like to say that momentum 
is still gained," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in live comments 
from the southern Turkish province of Antalya.

"We see that the parties are close to an agreement."

Cavusoglu this week visited Russia and Ukraine as Turkey, which has strong 
bonds with the two sides, has tried to position itself as a mediator. 

Ankara hosted the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine in Antalya last 
week. 

Cavusoglu said Turkey was in contact with the negotiating teams from the two 
countries but he refused to divulge the details of the talks as "we play an 
honest mediator and facilitator role."

In an interview with daily Hurriyet, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin 
said the sides were negotiating six points: Ukraine's neutrality, disarmament 
and security guarantees, the so-called "de-Nazification", removal of 
obstacles on the use of the Russian language in Ukraine, the status of the 
breakaway Donbass region and the status of Crimea annexed by Russia in 2014. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly appealed for peace, 
urging Russia to accept "meaningful" talks for an end to the invasion. 

"This is the time to meet, to talk, time for renewing territorial integrity 
and fairness for Ukraine," he said, in his latest video posted on social 
media on Saturday. 

Turkey said it was ready to host a meeting between Zelensky and Russian 
President Vladimir Putin. 

"We are working day and night for peace," Cavusoglu said on Sunday.