Newsletters
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Thursday that Türkiye is an “ideal actor” to host negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, emphasizing the importance of providing a platform where both sides can sit face-to-face to end the war, now in its third year.
“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 told reporters en route to Kyiv.
Fidan said any diplomatic progress depends on the willingness of the parties to engage and produce concrete results, noting the recent exchange of 1,000 prisoners between Russia and Ukraine as a significant milestone.
“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 called on both sides to officially declare their negotiation positions and cited the Istanbul peace talks, where each side exchanged 1,000 military prisoners, as a foundation for further diplomatic steps.
The Turkish foreign minister said he had reiterated Ankara’s peace efforts during his recent visit to Russia.
“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,” Fidan said.
“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.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday confirmed that Moscow had proposed holding a second round of direct negotiations with Ukraine on June 2 in Istanbul, according to Russian state media outlet TASS. “With the support of the United States, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, it was possible to create conditions for the resumption of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations,” Lavrov said in a written statement.
He said the first round of talks, held May 16 in Istanbul, resulted in the exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side and the drafting of initial position documents aimed at a sustainable resolution to the conflict. Lavrov also thanked Türkiye for its hospitality.
“As Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan confirmed during his visit to Moscow yesterday, I would like once again to thank our Turkish partners for providing a hospitable Turkish platform,” he said.
Fidan said he plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other senior Ukrainian officials during his visit.
“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,” he said.
“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.
2 min read
3 min read
