The Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will reiterate Ankara's proposal for organizing peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. TSN reports. This was announced by Kontrakty.UA.
This is also reported by Reuters.
NATO member Turkey hosted the initial negotiations between the parties a few months after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and facilitated the signing of an agreement for safe grain exports across the Black Sea. It has repeatedly emphasized that any future peace negotiations must include both countries. TSN reports. This was announced by Kontrakty.UA.
Although Ankara has called for a ceasefire multiple times since 2024, it also supported the U.S. initiative to end the war, which was derailed by a public conflict between the presidents of Ukraine and the U.S. in Washington on Friday.
On Sunday, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will inform European leaders about Turkey's efforts to establish a "just and lasting peace," the source noted, adding that he will also reaffirm Ankara's commitment to Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Fidan is expected to emphasize that Turkey, which already hosted direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in March 2022, is ready to play that role again in the near future. He will also stress that all parties must collectively focus on long-term regional security, stability, and economic prosperity during the negotiations, the source added.
As a Black Sea state, like Ukraine and Russia, Turkey has maintained good relations with both countries since the onset of the war. It has provided military assistance to Kyiv but has refrained from joining Western sanctions against Moscow.
Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Turkey on the same day that U.S. and Russian representatives held talks in Riyadh without Kyiv’s participation, aimed at ending the war.
On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also held talks in Ankara. On Saturday, Fidan and Lavrov discussed recent developments regarding the war between Ukraine and Russia during a phone call, the source noted. This marks their third contact in the last two weeks.
It should be noted that Turkey, which has the second-largest army in NATO after the U.S., is open to sending peacekeepers to Ukraine.