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Türkiye is included in European plans to monitor a potential ceasefire in Ukraine, with Ankara potentially taking responsibility for overseeing the Black Sea region, according to a report by German newspaper Die Welt, citing diplomatic sources in Brussels.
The report comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered military commanders to continue efforts to ensure a "security zone" along Russia's border with Ukraine in 2026.
Türkiye is part of the "coalition of the willing" that European countries have formed to monitor a potential ceasefire, Die Welt reported. Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz represented Türkiye at the coalition's meetings in recent months.
According to current plans, air and sea monitoring of the ceasefire will be provided by Ukraine's neighboring countries, with Türkiye assigned the Black Sea region.
Die Welt reported that 10,000 to 15,000 soldiers from European countries are planned to be sent to Ukraine within the first six months following a potential ceasefire.
"The plans for what the security guarantees for Ukraine could look like have already been fully worked out. They were essentially prepared by military experts from the British and French armed forces in cooperation with Brussels," diplomatic sources told Die Welt.
France and the United Kingdom are willing to provide "robust security guarantees" under the plans, meaning they would be ready to fight with ground troops to enforce peace if necessary, the report said.
Die Welt reported that both countries are ready to participate in monitoring a ceasefire even without a United Nations or European Union mandate—an invitation from Ukraine would be sufficient.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, Dec. 29, ordered military commanders to continue efforts to ensure a "security zone" along Russia's border with Ukraine in the coming year.
During a briefing by Russian military commanders on the front-line situation in Ukraine, Putin listened to reports on various fronts amid the nearly four-year conflict.
Yevgeny Nikiforov, head of the "North" grouping of forces, claimed Russia's "security zone" in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region is more than 16 kilometers deep and 60 kilometers wide.
Claiming Russia's front-line units are less than 20 kilometers from the region's administrative center, the city of Sumy, Nikiforov presented the situation to Putin.
"This is a very important task, as it ensures the security of Russia's border regions. This work must certainly continue in 2026," Putin told Nikiforov in remarks published by the Kremlin.
Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov claimed that Russian forces captured the settlements of Bohuslavka and Dibrova in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region and are advancing in the town of Lyman in the eastern Donetsk region.
He added that Russian troops are establishing a "security zone" in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region and are advancing toward the city of Zaporizhzhia, claiming they have taken control of the village of Lukianivske.
In May, Putin announced that he ordered the creation of a "security buffer zone" along the border between Russia and Ukraine after Russia claimed to have pushed Ukrainian troops out of its border region of Kursk, where Kyiv had launched an incursion in August 2024.
Ukrainian authorities have yet to comment on Russia's recent claims, and independent verification of the claims is difficult due to the ongoing war.
Russia said it will take a harder position in possible peace negotiations following alleged Ukrainian drone attacks on the residence of President Vladimir Putin.
"This terrorist action aims to derail the negotiation process," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists Tuesday.
"The diplomatic consequence will be a toughening of the negotiating position of the Russian Federation," he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected the accusations as "another round of lies" aimed at justifying additional attacks against Ukraine.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on other countries not to respond to Russian accusations, saying Russia had provided no evidence even a day after the alleged attack.
"Because there is none. No such attack took place," Sybiha said.
Türkiye has played a significant mediation role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict since 2022. President Erdogan recently said in his New Year's message that Ankara is continuing initiatives to end the war with a fair and lasting peace.
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