Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey on Tuesday called for a ceasefire in Ukraine just days ahead of a meeting between the leaders of Turkey and Russia in the Kazakh capital Astana.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who won plaudits for securing a grain deal as well as Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap, has long sought to bring together Kyiv and Moscow for truce talks that neither side particularly wants.
Turkey's call comes ahead of a meeting set for Thursday between Vladimir Putin and Erdogan, who has a good working relationship with the Russian leader despite disagreements on several issues including in Syria.
NATO member Turkey, which has stayed neutral throughout the conflict in Ukraine, also has good ties with Kyiv.
But increasing Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities are further diminishing the chances for a diplomatic solution which Ankara has longed for since the war began in February.
"Unfortunately (both sides) have quickly moved away from diplomacy" since the talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Istanbul in March, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a televised interview.
"As the Ukraine-Russian war drags on, unfortunately, the situation gets worse and more complicated," added the Turkish diplomat, who called for an immediate ceasefire.
"A ceasefire must be established as soon as possible.The sooner the better," he said.
'Viable ceasefire'
The Kremlin confirmed that Putin will meet Erdogan in Astana on Thursday.
"Preparations are underway for the meeting," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The talks will be an opportunity to discuss the situation in "Ukraine, bilateral ties and exchange views on current issues", he said.
A Turkish official earlier told AFP that the meeting was scheduled for Thursday.
Erdogan is scheduled to fly to Astana on Wednesday for talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Turkish official said.
Turkey has refrained from joining Western sanctions against Russia.
Erdogan, who met Putin on the sidelines of a regional summit in Uzbekistan last month, is keen to boost trade with Moscow as he tries to stabilise the battered Turkish economy in the run up to elections next June.
Ankara has bowed to pressure from the United States and confirmed last month the last three Turkish banks still processing Russian bank card payments were pulling the plug.
The decision followed weeks of increasingly blunt warnings from Washington for Turkey to either limit economic ties with Russia or face the threat of sanctions itself.
Erdogan has not yet commented on mass Russian strikes that targeted Ukrainian cities and killed at lead 19 people and wounded more than 100 according to Ukraine's emergency services.
Cavusoglu held a telephone call with Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba after Monday's attacks, a Turkish diplomatic source said, without elaborating further.
During the interview on Tuesday, Cavusoglu called for a "just peace" based on Ukraine's territorial integrity.
"There must be a just peace for Ukraine.Where is the war going on?It's going on on Ukrainian soil," he said.
"A process that will ensure Ukraine's border and territorial integrity should start.Without a ceasefire, it is not possible to talk about those issues in a healthy way: a viable ceasefire and a just peace."
Turkey has rejected Russia's annexation of four Ukrainian provinces as a "grave violation" of international law and called for negotiations to end the conflict.
