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Russia's ambassador to Türkiye said Thursday that Moscow expects the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara to take into account the "new realities" of the world, while emphasizing that Russia respects Türkiye's choice to remain a member of the alliance.
Sergey V. Vershinin, ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Türkiye, made the comments in an interview with Turkish journalist Murat Yetkin, addressing the July 7-8 NATO Heads of State and Government Summit set to take place in Ankara.
"I don't know what is on NATO's agenda. We have no connection to this alliance whatsoever," Vershinin said.
"Despite this, we are closely following developments. Our expectation from the NATO summit is that it takes into account the new realities of the world," he added.
The interview came as Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan made a two-day visit to Moscow on June 16-17. During the trip, he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and delivered a message from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He also briefed Russian officials on the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU) and Türkiye's role in it, and held a separate meeting with Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu.
Asked to clarify what he meant by the world's "new realities," Vershinin said military intervention was no longer a viable path forward.
"It should now be understood that military interventions are not a solution," he said. "There is no room for military solutions."
When pressed on whether this position contradicted Russia's own policy on Ukraine, Vershinin said: "Our stance on Ukraine is clear. We are in favor of dialogue beginning and of the root causes of the conflict being taken into account."
"However, we also see that NATO stands by the Kyiv regime. Supplying it with weapons serves no purpose other than encouraging terrorist activities and complicates progress toward peace and security in the region," he added.
Asked about Black Sea security following a recent strike on a commercial vessel inside Türkiye's exclusive economic zone, after which Türkiye warned both Russia and Ukraine, Vershinin said Türkiye plays a guarantor role in the region under the Montreux Convention.
"As you know, Türkiye, in accordance with the spirit and substance of the Montreux Convention, is one of the guarantors of security and stability in the Black Sea region. We are also in close contact with our Turkish partners to minimize risks," he said.
"The continued provocations of the Ukrainian regime are a clear indication of its true nature and its lack of capacity for negotiation," the ambassador noted.
Asked how close Turkish-Russian relations have been sustained despite Türkiye's NATO membership, Vershinin pointed to a broad base of mutual interest.
"Russia and Türkiye have many shared areas of interest. The possibilities for cooperation are quite broad. These areas include the economy, tourism, energy, ecology and even military-technical ties," he said.
"Yes, Türkiye is a NATO member, and we respect our Turkish partners' choice. From a broader perspective, we need to develop areas that serve the mutual benefit and interests of our peoples and create conditions for the prosperity of both countries," he concluded.
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