Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss recent diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as developments in Gaza and Syria, diplomatic sources said Tuesday.
The two diplomats exchanged views on the outcomes of the second round of Ukraine-Russia peace talks held in Istanbul on Monday. Fidan briefed his American counterpart on the progress made, including the presentation of cease-fire proposals and plans for continued technical-level negotiations.
The conversation also covered the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza amid Israel’s military campaign, as well as the broader regional implications of recent developments in Syria.
The talks were intended to discuss ways out of Russia's three-year war against Ukraine, but the two sides were apparently far apart going into the negotiations.
The last round of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul on May 16 yielded the biggest prisoner swap of the war, with each side freeing 1,000 prisoners, but no sign of peace or a cease-fire, as they merely stated their opening negotiating positions, which were far apart.
NATO member Türkiye, which has striven to maintain relations with both Kyiv and Moscow, has become a key mediator amid U.S. President Donald Trump's push for a deal to end the over three-year war.
Last week, Foreign Minister Fidan held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.
