Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba are to meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on the margins of Antalya diplomatic forum.

"In accordance with the agreement reached during a phone conversation between the presidents of Russia and Turkey, the contact between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is planned on the margins of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum at the initiative of the Turkish leader," she told TASS.

Earlier on Monday, the Turkish foreign minister said a meeting between Lavrov and Kuleba could be held on Thursday on the sidelines of a diplomatic forum in Antalya. He said that the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers had confirmed their readiness to meet in Antalya and that the meeting would be held in a trilateral format.

On 24 February, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Ukraine in response to an appeal for help from the leaders of the Donbas republics. He said that Moscow's plans did not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories, the goal was to demilitarize and denationalize the country.