TURKEY- NATO Secretary-General, Mark Rutte, on Thursday said that he was optimistic of an end to the war in Ukraine.
Rutte said that he saw opportunities for progress on ending the war in Ukraine, in spite of Russian President Vladimir Putin missing talks in Istanbul.
”I’m still cautiously optimistic that we can get some breakthrough over the next couple of weeks,’’ Rutte said on the sidelines of a gathering of NATO foreign ministers in the Turkish city of Antalya.
He however said that the talks would only progress if the Russians turned up with a relevant delegation.
”The ball is now clearly in Russia’s court. They have to explain what they are doing, why they are here or not.
”Ukraine is ready to commit to a ceasefire and immediate negotiations. That’s absolutely clear,’’ Rutte stressed. (dpa/NAN)
