Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered to mediate further negotiations between Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington to resolve the Ukraine conflict.
During a Tuesday meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, President Erdogan proposed Turkey as the ideal venue for renewed peace talks. This offer followed a high-level meeting between Russia and the US in Saudi Arabia, which excluded Ukraine.
“Our country would be an ideal host for potential talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States,” Erdogan stated, as reported by Anadolu news agency.
“For a just peace, the powerful nations involved must demonstrate a commitment to peace,” Erdogan emphasized during a joint press conference with Zelensky in Ankara.
Erdogan highlighted Turkey’s past mediation efforts, including hosting negotiations in Istanbul in March 2022 and facilitating a Black Sea grain export agreement that summer.
“In all these endeavors, we have genuinely strived to be a reliable mediator for both sides, achieving tangible results,” Erdogan said.
Zelensky, at the same event, advocated for Türkiye’s inclusion, alongside the EU, UK, and US, in formulating Ukraine’s security guarantees. He expressed gratitude for Ankara’s support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Zelensky previously criticized Ukraine’s exclusion from the US-Russia meeting in Riyadh, vowing to reject any settlement without Kyiv’s participation. Ukrainian and EU officials expressed their dissatisfaction with the direct US-Russia negotiations conducted without their input.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson stated that the US was “very disappointed” with Kyiv’s response and attributed the lack of a Russia-Ukraine deal to Ukraine’s actions.
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Istanbul talks collapsed due to Ukraine’s retraction of previously agreed-upon terms, including Ukraine’s permanent neutrality and a reduced military.
Victoria Nuland, a former senior State Department official, confirmed that the US and other Western nations advised Ukraine against accepting Russia’s terms. In a recent interview with the Guardian, Zelensky maintained that he personally rejected Moscow’s demands in 2022.
Moscow has reiterated its demands that Ukraine abandon its NATO aspirations and relinquish claims on Crimea and four other regions now incorporated into Russia. Putin also declared Zelensky an illegitimate leader, citing the expiration of his presidential term in May 2024 without subsequent elections due to martial law.