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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov indicated that Istanbul could serve as the venue for a second round of direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, praising Türkiye's mediation efforts during ongoing Ukraine peace initiatives.
"As for the second round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, if you ask me, I would again turn to our Turkish friends. Istanbul is very good," Lavrov said during a joint news conference with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Moscow on Tuesday.
The statement came following Türkiye's facilitation of the first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in three years, held in Istanbul on May 16, where both sides agreed to a large-scale prisoner exchange involving 1,000 people from each side.
Lavrov expressed Russia's gratitude for Türkiye's continued diplomatic efforts in the Ukraine crisis resolution process. "We are grateful to Türkiye for its continued support for negotiations and peaceful resolution of the crisis," the Russian foreign minister stated.
The talks occurred during Fidan's working visit to Moscow, where he also met with Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who leads the Russian delegation in Ukraine negotiations, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Fidan reaffirmed Türkiye's readiness to facilitate negotiations and conveyed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's support for the peace process.
During the joint press conference, Lavrov highlighted the strengthening economic ties between Russia and Türkiye despite Western attempts to create obstacles.
"Bilateral trade volume continues to grow steadily. Bilateral trade volume exceeded $52 billion last year," Lavrov noted.
The Russian foreign minister also mentioned tourism cooperation, stating that Russian citizens visiting Türkiye reached record levels last year, expressing satisfaction with the tourism relationship between the two countries.
Both foreign ministers emphasized their unified stance regarding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank.
"Türkiye and Russia share a unified position on Gaza. What happens in Gaza and the West Bank is unacceptable," Lavrov stated, describing the violence in the region as unacceptable.
Fidan stressed the urgency of ending the crisis, warning that "the genocide in Gaza must stop at once, otherwise a chaos that can engulf Israel will be unstoppable."
"This much pain, blood, and tears will not be without consequence. This must stop at once. Humanity and the international community must show a wholehearted effort to pass the humanitarian trial, it has failed. We will continue working with Russia in this regard," Fidan added.
The ministers discussed ongoing cooperation regarding Syria, with both countries supporting Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Lavrov emphasized the need for intensive dialogue on Syria, stating: "There is a need for intensive dialogue on Syria. We confirmed our commitment to Syria's sovereignty, territorial integrity and political unity and emphasized the importance of providing support to overcome the difficulties faced during Syria's transition period."
The Russian foreign minister welcomed the U.S. decision to lift sanctions on Syria, noting that these sanctions had caused difficulties for the Syrian people.
Lavrov addressed the security of energy infrastructure, particularly the TurkStream and Blue Stream natural gas pipelines, citing concerns over Ukraine's provocative actions and threats against these critical energy corridors.
The ministers continued discussions on the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant construction project, representing ongoing energy cooperation between the two countries.
Lavrov criticized European countries for "attempting to sabotage" the peace process, claiming that France, Britain, Germany, and Poland oppose negotiations because they fear the political consequences of ending the conflict.
"European leaders know that if the war ends, they will end their political careers in shame. Therefore, they put their selfish interests above the interests of their peoples," Lavrov stated.
He contrasted this with U.S. President Donald Trump's support for Russia-Ukraine negotiations, noting that European countries are trying to undermine the peace process supported by the U.S. and Türkiye.
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Meanwhile, U.S. envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg indicated that Geneva might serve as the location for future talks, noting that Russia rejected the Vatican as a potential venue.
Kellogg told Fox News that the U.S. is waiting for Russia's term sheet after Ukraine already submitted its negotiating terms, with the goal of identifying common ground between the parties.
The development follows the initial direct talks in Istanbul, which resulted in a prisoner exchange agreement and commitments to provide written cease-fire terms. Trump on Tuesday took to social media to issue a warning to Putin and said he's "playing with fire."
"What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD," he wrote on Truth Social. "He’s playing with fire!"
The latest attacks prompted Trump to condemn Putin as "crazy" in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
"I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him," Trump said Sunday. "He has gone absolutely CRAZY!
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