Addressing a gathering of Turkish ambassadors in Ankara on Monday, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Istanbul is still the only venue where Russia and Ukraine can negotiate and said they were ready to set up "a table for peace” again.
"A fair peace will have no losers,” Fidan said.
Türkiye is among the few countries maintaining good ties with both sides of the conflict and this unique position helped it secure a deal with Russia and Ukraine to come together in Istanbul for a possible cease-fire. "The Istanbul Talks," as they were dubbed by the media, were the first significant steps toward peace by Kyiv and Moscow, but the hostilities remained. Still, a breakthrough emerged as the sides agreed on prisoner swaps.
As the conflict heads to its fourth year, the international community scrambled for the revival of prospects of peace. High-level talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. envoys and European leaders are set to take place Monday in Berlin as an intensified diplomatic push continues. U.S. and Ukrainian delegations have been wrangling over a U.S. peace proposal for weeks, after an initial version that emerged last month was slammed by Kyiv and its European allies as too Russia-friendly. While both Kyiv and Washington have acknowledged that progress has been made, major sticking points remain, including Russia's demand for territorial concessions, which Kyiv has consistently rejected.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner arrived in Berlin on Sunday, where they held talks with Zelenskyy for more than five hours at the Chancellery. Witkoff expressed optimism afterward, saying "a lot of progress was made" on the current "20-point peace plan," adding both sides would continue discussions on Monday. The specific proposals currently on the table are not publicly known, but negotiations are believed to focus on the issue of territorial concessions, Western security guarantees for Kyiv to deter Russia from attacking again after a peace deal is reached, as well as Russian assets currently frozen under EU sanctions. EU leaders are set to decide later this week whether to use the assets held in the bloc to secure a long-term reparations loan for Ukraine.
Fidan said Türkiye adhered to a clear principle since the conflict began that "wars have no winners and a fair peace has no losers." "Guided by this, we are the country working most for the conflict to end through diplomacy. Istanbul is still the only venue where the sides can hold technical talks and discuss the parameters of peace," he said.
The minister attributed this to the "trust in Turkish diplomacy." "Türkiye is ready to set up the table for peace, to play a facilitating role, to take any initiative for ending the war through diplomacy," he emphasized.
New beginning for Syria
Turkish diplomacy scored another victory in Syria, according to Fidan. In remarks a few days after the anniversary of the Syrian revolution that toppled the oppressive Assad regime, Fidan said they stood on the right side of history in Syria. "Looking back, we had the toughest test in the field in Syria. We paid a political, economic price for our stance, but we never made concessions on humanity's honor. We are left alone in this process and we have seen many countries engaged in tactical cooperation with terrorist groups," Fidan told the ambassadors. He was referring to an international "coalition" led by the U.S. under the pretext of fighting the terrorist group Daesh in Syria.
The YPG, the Syrian wing of the terrorist group PKK, which killed thousands in Türkiye over the past few decades, was the major partner of the U.S. U.S. troops are still deployed in areas controlled by the YPG, which launched terror attacks within Türkiye during the Syrian civil war.
"Yet, we never changed our course on Syria and eventually, we witnessed a new turning point on Dec. 8, 2024, a new page full of hope for the people of Syria. But our work in Syria is not done. We believe that a Syria free of external intervention, a stable Syria, will be an added value for our region. Throughout it, Türkiye will resolutely stand with the brotherly people of Syria," Fidan said.
Awakening for Gaza
Fidan said Türkiye also played a key role in securing a cease-fire in Gaza. "What happened in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, has been a dark stain in the history of mankind, but it also paved the way for a global awakening," he said. He underlined that Türkiye became the voice of global conscience against Israel's genocide in Gaza. "Our principles, which have stood since the beginning, eventually played a major role in ensuring the cease-fire," he said.
He noted that Türkiye's efforts found a response in the international community. "If a two-state solution is accepted even in the Western capitals, the contribution of our diplomacy is a major reason," he said. "We still need more time for permanent peace in Palestine, but we will work patiently and resolutely for the achievement of a two-state solution," he said.
Türkiye advocates a sovereign State of Palestine as the only solution to put the conflict to an end, but Israel, which enjoyed immense international support during the genocide, blocks any solution. Türkiye worked with other countries opposing Israel for a cease-fire, while Israel's major ally, the U.S, finally managed to convince Tel Aviv to sign a cease-fire deal with Hamas. The cease-fire has been violated repeatedly by Israel and Türkiye says a statehood for Palestinians may put an end to most of the problems Palestinians have faced in the face of years of Israeli blockade.