President Erdogan has offered Istanbul or Ankara as venues for a summit between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders.
Türkiye is prepared to continue its mediation efforts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who plans to propose a summit between the leaders of both nations.
In a televised address on X, Erdogan described the recent meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul as “very magnificent.”
“My biggest wish is to bring together both (Russian President) Vladimir Putin and (Ukraine’s Vladimir) Zelensky, perhaps in Istanbul or Ankara,” he stated, also suggesting the potential participation of US President Donald Trump.
“If they agree, I would join the meeting personally,” Erdogan added, expressing his hope for Istanbul to become “a true center of peace.”
During the Istanbul meeting on Monday, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations reached an agreement for a “largest ever” prisoner exchange, according to Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian negotiation team. This exchange will encompass all severely injured and seriously ill prisoners of war, along with a separate arrangement for all captive soldiers under the age of 25, he informed reporters.
Medinsky also announced that Russia would unilaterally return the bodies of 6,000 Ukrainian servicemen next week. Additionally, Moscow presented Kiev with a detailed memorandum outlining a proposal for a lasting peace and steps toward a “full-fledged ceasefire,” he said.
Türkiye has been a key mediator between Russia and Ukraine since 2022, hosting initial peace talks. These talks did not lead to a breakthrough after former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly advised Kiev against accepting a deal, urging them to pursue victory on the battlefield.
Ukraine resumed talks under pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has been advocating for a brokered truce. The previous round of talks in Istanbul on May 16 resulted in the exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side.
Following Monday’s talks, the head of Kiev’s delegation, Rustem Umerov, told reporters that the Ukrainian delegation proposed holding the next meeting before the end of June. Moscow has not yet commented on this proposal.