
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Turkey late Sunday, Moscow's state news agency TASS reported, a day ahead of talks with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.
Turkish diplomatic sources had said that Lavrov would visit Turkey Monday, the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
TASS released footage Sunday of Lavrov walking down the steps from his plane at Ankara airport.
Earlier, Russian diplomatic spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed to TASS that "a delegation led by Sergei Lavrov will shortly be visiting Turkey" to discuss "a wide range of issues".
Turkey, a member of NATO, wants to play a leading role in bringing an end to hostilities, as it tried to do in March 2022 by twice hosting direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv.
Receiving his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country would be an "ideal host" for talks on Ukraine involving Moscow, Kyiv and Washington.
Moscow and Washington have already begun a direct dialogue in recent weeks, against a backdrop of rapprochement between US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin.
Russian and American officials met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to begin rebuilding relations, a meeting denounced by Zelensky, who fears an agreement on Ukraine reached without him at the table.
Lavrov, who last visited Turkey in October, is also expected to visit Russian ally Iran.
With AFP
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