Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has called for an immediate end to the war in Ukraine and urged both Kiev and Moscow to engage in “result-oriented consultations” during the latest round of peace talks being held in Istanbul.

“We should end this bloody war as soon as possible,” Fidan said during a press conference in Istanbul on Wednesday ahead of the talks, which mark the third round of renewed negotiations between the two sides since May.

Ankara’s diplomatic efforts

Fidan emphasised that Türkiye has played an active diplomatic role since the beginning of the conflict, adding: “Türkiye has made intense efforts under President Erdogan's leadership since the beginning of this conflict.”

He said Ankara's goal was for the parties to build on previous dialogue and focus on concrete steps forward.

“Our goal is that parties will have result-oriented consultations on the memorandum,” he stated, referring to the documents exchanged in earlier rounds of talks that laid the groundwork for ceasefire proposals and humanitarian agreements.

“The ultimate goal,” he added, “is to build peace through a ceasefire.”

The comments come as Russian and Ukrainian delegations begin discussions expected to focus on expanding prisoner exchanges, formalising humanitarian corridors, and laying the foundation for a broader cessation of hostilities.

The last round of talks in June led to a landmark agreement on repatriating the remains of fallen soldiers and prioritising severely wounded prisoners of war.