Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, en route to Kiev, told reporters that Türkiye is an "ideal actor" for the negotiation talks between Russia and Ukraine to end the three-year-long war, stressing the importance of finding a venue to hold the talks.
"Given the current circumstances, the parties need a place where they can come face-to-face and sit around a table to negotiate. In this regard, Türkiye is actually an ideal actor," Fidan said on Thursday.
Noting that any diplomatic success stems from the parties being willing to talk and producing outcomes as a result, Fidan highlighted the exchange of 1,000 prisoners as a significant step in this direction.
“Following that, the fact that both parties, for the first time, formally put their ceasefire positions in writing and conveyed them to each other to continue negotiations — that was also an important step," he added.
Fidan urged the sides to formally declare and present their negotiation positions, citing the exchange of 1,000 military prisoners on each side following the Istanbul peace negotiations.
Russian Foreign Minister held a phone call Wednesday with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss possible Russian-Ukrainian peace talks in Istanbul, Türkiye.
Türkiye’s peace efforts conveyed to Russia
Fidan said that during his visit to Russia, the Turkish side had once again underscored Ankara’s efforts towards ending Moscow’s war with Kiev.
“As a major regional country, we’ve not only tried to stop the war from the very beginning but have also closely followed all of its dimensions. We shared our views on what realistic parameters could make a ceasefire possible," he added.
“Currently, both sides have made certain public statements. Most recently, Dmitry Peskov (Kremlin spokesman) made a statement on behalf of the Kremlin. They said they are expecting a response to the proposal they declared for June 2," he added.
The Turkish foreign minister said he will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials.
“Just as we did in Russia, we will again discuss Türkiye’s position, our views, and the urgent need for a ceasefire. We have our own observations, and we will receive feedback from them as well.
As I said, once the negotiation process starts, we see the situation begin to take a more optimistic shape.
“Both sides, in principle, want a ceasefire — no one would openly say they don’t. That would be hard to justify before the global public. It's not something that lifts you morally. But on the other hand, both sides have different ceasefire demands. These demands need to be reconciled — that’s what negotiation and mediation are for. And as those demands are reconciled, the parties will need to face each other to some extent," he added.
Kremlin spokesman Peskov said the Russian president prioritises Moscow’s interests as Trump criticises his refusal to engage in peace talks with Kiev.
