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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Saturday in Ankara with Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, diplomatic sources said. No details of the discussions were officially released.
The meeting marks the latest in a series of engagements between the two officials as Türkiye sustains its role as a diplomatic bridge between Kyiv and Moscow in the more than three-year-old war.
The Fidan-Umerov track has become one of the more active bilateral channels in the broader international effort to address the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
In January 2026, Fidan and Umerov held talks in Ankara, during which the two sides discussed the security situation, the state of negotiations, and coordination on next steps. Umerov described Türkiye at the time as "an important partner of Ukraine and one of the key platforms for dialogue." Following that meeting, Umerov briefed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy directly.
That January visit also included a separate session between Umerov and Ibrahim Kalin, head of Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT). Turkish security sources said those talks focused on the course of the war, its regional and global implications, possible paths toward peace, and the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war held in Russia.
In March 2026, Umerov again traveled to Ankara for a broader round of meetings that included Defense Minister Yasar Guler, Fidan, Kalin, and President Erdogan's foreign policy adviser Akif Cagatay Kilic.
Umerov said the talks covered "the security situation, the progress of the negotiation process, and the coordination of further steps regarding common threats," with a particular emphasis on the humanitarian track and the return of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The diplomatic relationship predates Umerov's current role. When he served as Ukraine's defense minister, he met with Fidan in Ankara in May 2024, alongside a visit by Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk.
In late June 2024, Umerov returned to Ankara alongside Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak for further consultations. Umerov was appointed secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council in July 2025, after his tenure as defense minister.
Türkiye has maintained working relations with both Moscow and Kyiv throughout the conflict, positioning itself as a potential mediator and host for diplomatic initiatives.
Ankara has facilitated prisoner exchanges and hosted direct negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian delegations, most notably the Istanbul talks in May 2025 in which Umerov led the Ukrainian side.
Türkiye is also set to host the NATO summit in July 2026, a gathering that will place the war and its resolution high on the alliance's agenda.
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