Türkiye has faith that positive negotiations may resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Monday. “Negotiations based on just and lasting peace will certainly impact the current process. Türkiye played an important role in the Istanbul Talks and we are committed to this constructive stand,” Erdoğan told reporters during his return trip from South Africa.
Erdoğan was scheduled to hold a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin later on Monday. He told a news conference in Johannesburg on Sunday that he would request Putin to take steps to revive a grain deal that Russia and Ukraine reached in Istanbul. Recently, Erdoğan has hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who sought "reinvigoration" of the process with Russia, especially in prisoner swaps.
On a question about U.S. President Donald Trump's peace proposal to end the conflict, Erdoğan said he conveyed Türkiye's stand on Ukraine on various occasions to President Trump. "We believe that a fair peace has no losers. Accomplishing a fair peace is through negotiations, through meetings. People are debating whether this new peace plan would be such a platform and whether the sides can agree upon it. I believe it is possible. We only need to discuss how it will move forward. If this peace plan answers to the sides' legitimate expectations and addresses their security needs, in a way that would not stir up a new phase of instability, it will be possible to reach a compromise. We believe this compromise can move forward with negotiations containing a positive agenda. If a platform that will satisfy everyone's demands is created, the door to a lasting solution will be opened. The launch of negotiations on proposals that will pave the way for a fair and lasting peace will definitely impact the process," Erdoğan said.
Senior U.S. and Ukrainian officials held talks in Geneva on a 28-point proposal aimed at advancing peace efforts in Ukraine. The exchanges involved a U.S. delegation led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as a Ukrainian delegation led by Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak. Following the talks on Sunday, the U.S. and Ukraine drafted an "updated and refined" peace framework, according to a joint statement, saying discussions in this regard showed "meaningful progress toward aligning positions and identifying clear next steps." Separately, the national security advisers of the E3 countries – the U.K., France and Germany – also met with Ukraine's delegation in Geneva.
