Turkish FM pledges action after attack on TurkStream gas pipeline

In a telephone conversation on March 1, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan assured his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, that Ankara would take the necessary steps regarding an attack on the "Russkaya" compressor station, part of the TurkStream gas pipeline, carried out by Ukrainian forces.

Lavrov informed Fidan that, during the night of February 27-28, three unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched by Ukrainian forces had targeted the critical infrastructure, Caliber.Az reports, citing a report by the Russian Defence Ministry.

However, the Russian military's air defense systems intercepted and destroyed all the drones before they could reach their objective.

Lavrov urged Fidan to leverage Türkiye’s influence over Kyiv to prevent further terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure, such as this one, which marks a recurring pattern of aggression.

The conversation between the foreign ministers came as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen Russian-Turkish cooperation. In line with talks held on February 24 in Ankara, both ministers reaffirmed their commitment to peace, stability, and security in the region.

The ministers emphasized the importance of coordinated action, underpinned by the agreements between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as a foundation for their bilateral relations moving forward.

By Khagan Isayev