Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, speaking alongside his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, called for an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and said Ankara was to continue peace efforts seeking a lasting ceasefire.

Addressing reporters after a meeting with Lavrov, Cavusoglu said NATO member Turkey hoped that Russian President Vladimir Putin would meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a step toward lasting peace.

Russia said there were no obstacles to a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, but such a meeting would only take place to seal a specific agreement.

"There are no obstacles to the organization of such a meeting with the understanding that it would not be just for its own sake; it would have to seal concrete agreements which are currently being worked out by the two delegations," Lavrov told reporters.

(Cover: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (right) and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu attend a news conference following their talks in Moscow, Russia, March 16, 2022. /Reuters)