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Turkey stresses need for dialogue with Moscow

Ankara repeatedly stated that Turkey does not intend to join the sanctions against Russia, so as not to damage its own economy and leave an open channel of dialogue with the Russian Federation

ANKARA, March 27. /TASS/. Turkey and other states should maintain a dialogue with Russia in the interests of resolving the situation in Ukraine, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Sunday.

"If everybody burns bridges with Russia then who is going to talk to them at the end of the day? Ukrainians need to be supported by every means possible so they can defend themselves… but the Russian case must be heard, one way or the other," Reuters cited him as saying.

Ankara repeatedly stated that Turkey does not intend to join the sanctions against Russia, so as not to damage its own economy and leave an open channel of dialogue with the Russian Federation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said 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 Ukraine, stressing that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories. Western countries responded to the actions of the Russian authorities by slapping sanctions against physical and legal entities.