Erdoğan Welcomes Alaska Summit On Ending Ukraine War
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said the talks between U.S. and Russian leaders in Alaska have given "new momentum" to efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
"The meetings held in Alaska between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin have provided new momentum to the search for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war," Erdoğan wrote on Aug. 16 in a statement on X.
Turkey hopes that the new process will lay the foundation for lasting peace, with the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he said.
"Turkey stands ready to make every contribution toward the establishment of peace," Erdoğan added.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held separate phone calls with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts to discuss the Alaska summit on Aug. 15.
During his talks with Ukraine's Andrii Sybiha, Fidan said lasting peace "could only be achieved through a process that included Ukraine," according to diplomatic sources.
Fidan also stressed the significance of the upcoming meeting between Zelensky and Trump in Washington on Aug. 18.
The Turkish top diplomat said Ankara will continue to support diplomatic efforts to achieve peace and is "ready to take on a role."
In the phone call with Russia's Sergey Lavrov, Fidan said he hopes the process launched in Alaska will lead to lasting peace with Ukraine’s participation.
Turkey has been keeping diplomatic channels open to both sides during the war, acting as a NATO member, a partner for both Russia and Ukraine and a potential mediator.
Istanbul hosted three rounds of renewed peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, with the last taking place on July 23.
At a news conference following the talks, Rustem Umerov, the head of Kiev's delegation, said that the delegations discussed the priorities of both sides during their meeting.
For his part, Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky said Moscow suggested forming three online working groups, each of them addressing different subject areas — political, humanitarian and military.
The Ukrainian delegation held talks with Erdoğan in Ankara ahead of the third round of the peace negotiations in Istanbul.
Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, said on X that the delegation conveyed greetings from Zelensky and thanked Turkey for its enduring support.
During the first round of talks held in Istanbul’s Dolmabahçe Palace, both sides reached what was then the largest prisoner swap of the over three-year-long conflict in Ukraine, which involved 1,000 prisoners from each side.
The delegations also agreed that both Moscow and Kiev will present each other with their vision of a future peace deal through peace memoranda.
Another round of peace talks held this time in Istanbul’s Çırağan Palace after two weeks resulted in both sides agreeing to exchange additional prisoners of war, prioritizing the youngest and most severely wounded.
Moscow and Kiev also conducted an exchange of memoranda, as agreed on during the first round of negotiations.
Following the talks, Erdoğan offered to hold a summit involving the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, as well as the U.S., turning Istanbul into a "center of peace."
Comments
Attention!
Sending all kinds of financial, legal, criminal, administrative responsibility content arising from illegal, threatening, disturbing, insulting and abusive, humiliating, humiliating, vulgar, obscene, immoral, damaging personal rights or similar content. It belongs to the Member / Members.