Turkish top diplomat slams West for sowing panic in Ukraine

Ankara.  Statements by some Western countries that Russia may allegedly invade Ukraine could only lead to an increase in panic and a worsening of the economic situation in the region, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated in an interview with TRT television.

"Unnecessary statements should be avoided. Comments that Russia will invade Ukraine today will cause unrest in Ukraine tomorrow. It also causes economic damage to Ukraine and its national currency," he emphasised.

"We see that this picture does not correspond to reality. Are there tensions? Yes, there are. Is there a possibility for a conflict? Yes, there is. But we don't need to voice this with megaphone diplomacy, as some Western countries do".

According to Cavusoglu, Turkey is in favor of dialogue with Russia. "As a state that maintains good relations with both sides, we continue to take steps to reduce tensions between Moscow and Kiev," he added.

At the same time, Cavusoglu stressed that some of the steps Ankara is taking are "public," and some of them are "carried out through diplomatic channels." Ankara’s chief diplomat reiterated that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan "first wants to de-escalate the tension and then to take steps for long-term stability in the region".

Concerns over Moscow's alleged preparations for an ‘invasion of Ukraine’ have been increasingly echoed throughout the West and in Kiev recently. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these statements as an ‘empty and groundless’ escalation of tension, emphasizing that Russia posed no threat to anyone.

At the same time, the Kremlin press secretary did not exclude some possible provocations to justify such claims and warned that any attempts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict by force would carry extremely serious consequences