Türkiye ready to work with Trump on Ukraine ceasefire, says defense minister

The head of Türkiye's Ministry of Defense stated that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Trump had demonstrated a strong will to establish a lasting ceasefire in Ukraine. He added that intensive contacts on the issue were ongoing and that they were ready to work on achieving a ceasefire and peace with Trump's participation.

Güler also noted that at the NATO Defense Ministers meeting on June 4-5 in Brussels, it was emphasized that peace can only be maintained by developing deterrence capabilities.

The Turkish Defense Minister stated that to meet these deterrence goals, it was vital to remove the last export restrictions among allies and other barriers to defense cooperation and investment.

Additionally, he called for a strategic approach to strengthening European security. The Minister stressed the need for a forward-looking approach.

Negotiations in Istanbul and beyond

On May 16 in Istanbul, Ukraine and Russia held their first direct talks in three years of full-scale war. This occurred shortly after Trump involved Turkish President Recep Erdoğan in the peace process.

At the first meeting, the parties agreed to a prisoner exchange on a 1,000-for-1,000 format, which was carried out. They also agreed to present their visions for ending the war at future talks.

On June 2, the second round of talks took place in Istanbul. However, the conditions from both sides remained far apart. Russia again made maximalist and unrealistic demands. Meanwhile, the parties agreed to review each other's proposals and conduct a new prisoner swap and war casualties.

RBC-Ukraine also reported that a few days before the second round, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that the country proposes holding a meeting of the US, Russian, and Ukrainian leaders, with Erdoğan's participation, following this session.