Erdoğan says potential Zelenskyy-Putin meeting in Istanbul was seen as historic opportunity

Erdoğan said Türkiye has no delays in facilitating negotiations. However, the main player in these talks is Putin. He noted that Trump was also a leading player and that Zelenskyy was in the same situation.

The Turkish president believes that a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul is crucial to ending the war and establishing peace in the region. He also emphasized that from the very beginning, he has been making intensive efforts to end the war and achieve a just peace.

Erdoğan explained that Türkiye and other countries offer methods and a foundation to bring the war to an end. According to him, it is necessary to make "the guns be silenced and diplomacy must speak."

The Turkish president said that peace negotiations must begin and stressed that this opportunity should not be missed. He emphasized that the war cannot be resolved through conflict and weapons. According to him, the greatest goal is to achieve a definitive outcome through peace talks. He added that Türkiye is determined to continue its mediating role and will make every effort to keep dialogue channels open and negotiations between the parties ongoing.

Zelenskyy-Putin meeting

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was ready for a personal meeting with Putin on May 15. However, Putin refused to come. Instead, the Russian president sent a delegation led by his aide, Vladimir Medinsky.

On May 16, direct talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations took place in Istanbul for the first time in three years. The negotiations lasted just over an hour. However, the sides did not reach an agreement on a ceasefire.

For more details on the Istanbul talks, read RBC-Ukraine's article.

Today, the Kremlin said a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is possible, but only if "certain agreements" are reached first.