Erdoğan wants to bring Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy to table in Türkiye
Photo: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Getty Images)
After the talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced his intention to organize a meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, and the United States, Hurriyet reports.
"Today, as you know, a meeting between Ukrainian and Russian delegations took place in Istanbul under the leadership of Mr. Hakan. It was truly a wonderful meeting," the Turkish President said.
He stated that Türkiye has become a turning point in peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
"My greatest wish is to bring together Mr. Vladimir Putin and Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Istanbul or Ankara, and also Mr. Trump. If they agree, I would like to participate in that meeting and turn Istanbul into a center of peace. We will take steps toward this after the latest meeting," the Turkish President added.
Zelenskyy–Putin meeting
In May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had already proposed to Russian leader Vladimir Putin to hold a meeting in Istanbul. However, this idea was ignored by the Kremlin. Instead, Putin sent a delegation led by his aide, Vladimir Medinsky.
Today, June 2, the second round of Ukraine–Russia talks took place in Istanbul. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov stated that the parties discussed, among other things, a meeting at the leadership level. Ukraine proposed to Russia to hold a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin by the end of this month, between June 20 and 30.
Zelenskyy had previously discussed with Turkish President Erdoğan the possibility of a four-party meeting involving the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and the United States to discuss a peace agreement.
