Ankara is ready to bring the parties to the conflict back to the negotiating table
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has stated Ankara's readiness to provide a venue for delegations from Ukraine and Russia to resume the diplomatic process for resolving the war. This was announced following a joint press conference with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand in Ottawa.
"We want the Russia-Ukraine war to end as soon as possible through dialogue and based on international law," Fidan emphasized. He noted that at the current stage, the diplomatic process is stalled, while hostilities are intensifying. According to him, the parties have focused on achieving military successes instead of seeking a peaceful solution.
In this context, the Turkish Foreign Minister called for revitalizing diplomatic efforts and stated: "We are ready to bring the delegations of Russia and Ukraine back to the negotiating table in our country".
NATO Summit in Ankara: Defense Industry in Focus
Fidan also addressed the upcoming NATO summit, which will take place in Ankara on July 7–8. According to him, this event will be historic, and one of the key agenda items will be the development of the defense industry amidst ongoing conflicts.
"Especially with the Russia-Ukraine war and other wars, at the political and strategic levels, there has been a realization of the need to assess the level at which NATO countries stand in the field of defense industry," the Turkish minister noted. He added that this topic has already acquired strategic significance for the alliance.
Furthermore, Fidan reported that the discussion on increasing defense spending has concluded, and now allies must demonstrate the practical fulfillment of their commitments.
Reactions from both sides: from Zelensky to Lavrov
Recall that the day before, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the submission of proposals to key partners as well as to "friends of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin" regarding the possibility of a meeting and ending the war. He also reported on the approval of a 40-day SBU operation aimed at influencing Russia to encourage it to end the conflict.
For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Moscow is allegedly ready to resume negotiations with Kyev from the point where both sides stopped. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin previously noted that there are no prerequisites for negotiations with Ukraine and emphasized readiness to hold dialogue only based on agreements reached in Istanbul.