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Russia expressed gratitude to Türkiye for its efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating that "Türkiye pleases all negotiating parties" and thanking the Turkish leadership for providing conditions for negotiations.
"We are grateful to Ankara and Türkiye's leadership for their efforts in helping find ways to resolve [the situation around Ukraine] and for the conditions that the Turkish leadership provides for conducting negotiations," Peskov told reporters at a briefing in Moscow on Monday.
The spokesman emphasized that Türkiye serves as an acceptable venue for all parties involved in the negotiation process, noting Russia's continued commitment to dialogue.
Peskov addressed speculation about a potential meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, either in China or Türkiye, stating that no specific preparations have been made.
While acknowledging Putin's planned visit to China in early September, Peskov said, "If the U.S. President decides to visit China on the same dates, a bilateral meeting cannot be ruled out, but there are no preparations for this yet. First, work needs to be done at the expert level."
Regarding President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's offer to host a Putin-Trump meeting in Istanbul, Peskov noted that while Erdogan has expressed political will, "there are no concrete developments on this matter."
The Kremlin spokesman later added that direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine have been held with Türkiye's hosting, underscoring Moscow's willingness to continue the dialogue process.
Peskov revealed that Russia has proposed creating three online working groups for the third round of negotiations and "we are awaiting a response from the Ukrainian side regarding this proposal," he added.
While no phone call between Putin and Erdogan is currently scheduled, Peskov emphasized the strong communication between Moscow and Ankara.
"We don't have a conversation with President Erdogan on the schedule yet," Peskov said. "But with our Turkish friends, we have the ability to coordinate conversations at the highest level literally within hours. As soon as it comes to that, the conversation can take place promptly."
Erdogan had announced on July 25 his plans to speak by phone with both Putin and Trump about the possibility of their meeting on Ukraine in Istanbul.
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