Türkiye will argue that this weekend’s summit for exploring ways to end the war in Ukraine would yield more results with both Kyiv and Moscow present, according to a Turkish diplomatic source on Friday.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will join world leaders at the summit in Switzerland, to which Russia is not invited.
NATO ally and Black Sea littoral state Türkiye has sought to maintain good ties with both Kyiv and Moscow during the war, offering to host peace talks or mediate.
"(Fidan) will point out that a summit that all sides attend has a higher probability of yielding results," the source said, adding he would also warn against the growing risk of the usage of weapons of mass destruction.
The source said Fidan would also reiterate Türkiye's call for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia to reach a negotiated end to the war.
Ankara, which boasts of a balanced diplomacy in the conflict, supports Ukraine's territorial integrity and provides it with military support, but also opposes Western sanctions on Moscow.
Türkiye has drawn praise for its unique ability to talk to both sides of the conflict, as well as its initiatives on issues such as the Black Sea grain deal and prisoner exchanges.
The now-collapsed grain deal was widely hailed as averting a global food crisis during 2022-2023.
Around 90 countries and organizations are expected to attend the Ukraine summit at the Swiss mountaintop resort of Buergenstock on June 15-16. Organizers have battled to strike a balance between condemning Russia's actions and securing as many participants as possible, diplomats say. China, a key consumer of Russian oil and supplier of goods that help Moscow maintain its manufacturing base, will not be present, either.
Putin said on Friday that Russia would cease fire and enter peace talks if Ukraine dropped its NATO ambitions and withdrew its forces from four Ukrainian regions claimed by Moscow. Kyiv has repeatedly said its territorial integrity is non-negotiable.
Russia, which sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, has described the idea of a summit to which it is not invited as "futile."
