Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced his intention to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding ending the war against Ukraine. According to the Turkish leader, this decision was made after he discussed the situation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the latter's visit to Istanbul last week. Erdogan made the statement to reporters while flying back from South Korea, emphasizing that Ankara intends to continue efforts to pave the way to peace between Moscow and Kyiv.
Ankara's position: contacts at the MFA level
"As Turkey, we are doing everything possible to pave the way to peace between Russia and Ukraine, and we will continue to do so. After our meeting with President Zelensky, we want to discuss the Russian side of the issue during a meeting with President Putin," Erdogan said. According to him, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and other responsible officials are maintaining contacts with representatives of both sides to explore the possibility of organizing a new meeting on Turkish territory.
Kremlin's reaction: no agreements yet
At the same time, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reported that there are no specific agreements regarding a conversation between Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the moment. However, he noted that if necessary, contact can be organized on short notice. Thus, as of the moment of Ankara's statement, Moscow has confirmed only its readiness for contact, but not the format or timing.
Context: the meeting between Zelensky and Erdogan
Ahead of the announcement of talks with Moscow, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with the Turkish leader. Following this meeting, Zelensky stated that Ukraine is preparing for diplomatic negotiations in a trilateral format in the first half of November and is considering the possibility of involving Turkey in the dialogue. The Ukrainian leader also declared his readiness for a personal meeting with Putin in Turkey, expecting Erdogan to facilitate its organization, with the main goal being a ceasefire along the entire front line.
Diplomatic background
The Turkish announcement coincided with a broader diplomatic context: prior to the meeting with Zelensky, Erdogan stated in a phone conversation with US President Donald Trump that Turkey is ready to join efforts to renew the diplomatic process between Ukraine and Russia to end the war. The sum of these statements indicates that Ankara is positioning itself as a platform for a potential trilateral dialogue, although, according to the Kremlin, specific parameters and dates for contacts have not yet been fixed.
