Russia backs off full Donetsk claim: Türkiye reveals updated Putin stance
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (Photo: GettyImages)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan noted that in recent months, there have been significant shifts in Russia’s position regarding the war in Ukraine, according to tgrthaber.com.
He stated that during the third round of negotiations in Istanbul, the parties presented concrete positions for the first time. These positions were later brought up for discussion during the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
“That was when we saw the beginning of the end,” Fidan said.
According to him, Russia no longer insists on controlling the entire territory of the four Ukrainian regions. However, the focus is now on holding the front line in Zaporizhzhia and securing 25–30% of the Donetsk region’s territory under Russian control.
“The fact that Moscow agreed to guarantee these conditions through a security mechanism is striking. It lays the groundwork for a future settlement, although it also poses difficult challenges for both countries, especially Ukraine,” he emphasized.
At the same time, he believes that the strategic loss of part of Donetsk complicates the defense of the rest of the region. However, an international guarantee system could balance the situation and provide room for further dialogue.
Ukraine–Russia negotiations in Istanbul
On August 23, the third round of negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian delegations took place. The parties agreed on a new exchange covering not only prisoners of war but also civilian citizens.
Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, stated that Kyiv proposed holding a leaders-level meeting by the end of August. Besides Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan may also participate.
It later emerged that Russian President Vladimir Putin presented a series of demands to end the war against Ukraine during his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Alaska, which included not only territorial concessions.
Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, also noted that Ukraine cannot exchange territories with Russia, even through a referendum, as violating territorial integrity is against the law.
Earlier, Head of the Presidential Office Andrii Yermak emphasized that Ukraine does not plan to hold a referendum on recognizing the territories occupied by Russia.
