President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Türkiye is ready to host Ukrainian and Russian leaders, as he emphasized the urgent need for a negotiated solution through direct talks between Russia and Ukraine, stressing that reaching a consensus on minimum common ground is critical to preventing further loss of life, as he met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ankara on Thursday.
The Presidential Communications Directorate said Erdoğan described the current moment as a historic opportunity to launch negotiations, expressing Türkiye’s strong support for dialogue both at the technical and leadership levels.
He reiterated Türkiye’s readiness to host a potential summit between President Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stating that he would be pleased to welcome both sides when they are prepared to meet.
The president also underscored Türkiye’s commitment to keeping channels of communication open between the two countries, saying that Ankara attaches great importance to facilitating dialogue.
Russian President Putin skipped the first direct talks between the warring sides in Istanbul on Thursday since Moscow invaded Ukraine in early 2022.
Zelenskyy challenged the Kremlin leader to meet in Türkiye in person, but the Kremlin has said its delegation at the talks will be led by Putin’s aide, Vladimir Medinsky, and include three other officials.
Putin's absence punctured hopes of a breakthrough in peace efforts that were given a push in recent months by the Trump administration and Western European leaders. It also raised the prospect of intensified international sanctions on Russia that have been threatened by the West.
The diplomatic maneuvering began over the weekend when European leaders met Zelenskyy in Kyiv and urged the Kremlin to agree to a full, unconditional 30-day cease-fire as a first step toward peace.
Putin later responded by proposing direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul. Then came Zelenskyy's challenge to Putin for face-to-face talks.
After days of silence, the Kremlin finally responded Thursday, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying Putin has no plans to travel to Istanbul in the next few days.
