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Russian, Turkish defense ministers discuss situation in Ukraine — ministry

Sergey Shoigu and Hulusi Akar had a telephone conversation on March 1

MOSCOW, March 1. /TASS/. The situation in Ukraine was the focus of a telephone conversation between Russian and Turkish Defense Ministers, Sergey Shoigu and Hulusi Akar, the Russian defense ministry said on Tuesday.

"Shoigu had a telephone conversation with Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on March 1," the ministry said. "The sides exchanged view on the situation in Ukraine."

Apart from that, the two ministers discussed the current situation in the Middle East.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories.

When clarifying the unfolding developments, the Russian Defense Ministry reassured that Russian troops are not targeting Ukrainian cities, but are limited to surgically striking and incapacitating Ukrainian military infrastructure. There are no threats whatsoever to the civilian population.