Turkey is ready to bring delegations from Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table, said the country’s Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan.
Fidan noted that Ankara is committed to bringing the Russian-Ukrainian war to an end as soon as possible through dialogue and in accordance with international law.
“In this context, I wish to state – not only to the parties, as I have already informed them, but also to the international community – that we are ready once again to bring the Russian and Ukrainian delegations together at the negotiating table in our country,” said Fidan, as quoted by the Anadolu Agency.
Turkey served as a venue for negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in March 2022. At that time, those talks did not result in a peace agreement. Since then, Ankara has stated its readiness to host peace talks and act as a mediator, and the Turkish president has repeatedly met or held telephone conversations with both the Ukrainian and Russian sides.
The most recent talks between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey took place in May and June of last year. Although no diplomatic breakthroughs were achieved at that time to end the war, a prisoner exchange on a one-for-one basis was agreed.
Analysts at the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted at the time that Russian officials continue to feign an interest in good-faith negotiations.