The positive momentum achieved in the Istanbul talks should be maintained, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, during a phone call Tuesday in which they discussed the recent developments in Ukraine.
A leader-to-leader meeting should also take place, the Turkish president told Putin, the Turkish Presidency said in a statement.
NATO member Turkey shares a border with Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea, has good ties with both and has been working as a mediator. It has hosted two separate talks between Ukraine and Russia and has been pushing to host a leaders' meeting.
"President Erdoğan, who stated the importance of achieving a cease-fire, working on humanitarian corridors effectively and carrying out evacuations in a safe manner, noted that Turkey would continue doing its utmost to halt this course of events damaging everyone and ensure lasting peace," the statement said.
He also repeated an offer to host the Russian and Ukrainian leaders for peace talks, it said.
Meanwhile, Putin told Erdoğan in phone call that Ukraine should order its military to lay down arms at Azovstals steel plant.
He also told the Turkish president that there are no military operations going on in Mariupol, the Kremlin said.
Erdoğan also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday. The Ukrainian president noted that the likelihood of further peace talks with Russia in Turkey depends on his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, but added that Kyiv wants substantive talks to happen.
Erdoğan also reiterated support for the negotiation process in the Russia-Ukraine war and said Turkey would welcome a guarantor position.
Underlining Turkey's readiness to provide all means of support during the negotiation process, including mediation efforts, Erdoğan said evacuations must be ensured in Mariupol, where the situation is worsening by the day.
Turkey is one of the most active countries working to ensure a permanent cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia. Its delicately balanced act of assuming a role as a mediator by keeping communication channels with both warring sides open provides a glimmer of hope in diplomatic efforts to find a solution and achieve peace in the Ukraine crisis. With its unique position of having friendly relations with both Russia and Ukraine, Turkey has won widespread praise for its push to end the war.
Since the beginning of the conflict, Ankara has offered to mediate between the two sides and host peace talks, underlining its support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. While Ankara has opposed international sanctions designed to isolate Moscow, it also closed its straits to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing through them.
In a breakthrough, Russian and Ukrainian delegations met for peace talks in Istanbul on March 29 as the war entered its second month with casualties piling up on both sides.
During the talks, Ukrainian officials signaled readiness to negotiate a “neutral status,” a key Russian demand, but demanded security guarantees for their country. Ukraine wants to see countries, including Turkey, as guarantors in a deal with Russia, a Ukrainian negotiator said after the talks. Russia, meanwhile, pledged to significantly decrease its military activities focusing on the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Chernihiv to build trust for future negotiations.
Turkey also hosted the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine in Antalya last month.
