President Erdogan has stated that Ankara’s “greatest desire” is for Moscow and Kiev to achieve a “definitive result” through peace negotiations.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan affirmed Türkiye’s readiness to continue its mediation efforts between Russia and Ukraine to facilitate a resolution to the ongoing conflict, emphasizing the importance of the recent discussions held in Istanbul.
Erdogan, speaking to reporters on Saturday, highlighted the recent Russia-Ukraine talks, the first direct engagement between the two sides since 2022, as a crucial step towards resolving the conflict.
“Bringing the delegations of the two countries together in Istanbul is extremely important for the end of the war that started on February 24, 2022, and for the establishment of peace in the region,” he said, according to TRT Haber.
The Turkish president emphasized that his country is actively involved, “not just saying ‘let the war end,’ we are also proposing methods, preparing the ground and making calls for this.”
“Our greatest desire is to obtain a definitive result from the peace talks. Therefore, we are determined to continue our mediation role for the end of this war. We will make every effort to keep the channels of dialogue open and the negotiations to continue between the parties,” he added, underscoring his belief that a military solution to the conflict is not possible.
During the two-hour meeting in Istanbul, Russia and Ukraine reportedly agreed to a large-scale prisoner exchange, discussed preliminary ceasefire terms, and considered the possibility of further talks.
Türkiye has played a significant mediating role between Moscow and Kiev since 2022, having hosted peace talks that year. While those talks did not yield a breakthrough, reportedly due to intervention by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Ankara has remained actively involved in facilitating prisoner exchanges between the warring parties.
Russia has expressed its openness to dialogue and willingness to consider a ceasefire with Ukraine, while also voicing concerns that Ukraine might use any pause in fighting to rebuild its military capabilities and receive additional Western weaponry.
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