In brief: The Turkish leader said he intends to hold talks with Putin on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine following a meeting with Zelensky in Istanbul. Erdogan said Ankara would continue pursuing diplomacy and that Turkish officials were consulting their Russian counterparts to prepare the ground for the discussions.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he plans to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on ending the war in Ukraine after discussing renewed diplomatic efforts with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Speaking to reporters aboard his plane returning from South Korea, Erdogan said Turkey would continue working to open a path to peace, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency.
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“After this meeting with Mr. Zelensky, we aim to hold talks with Mr. Putin as well to consider the Russian side of this issue,” Erdogan said.
Turkey’s foreign minister and other officials are consulting their Russian counterparts to prepare the meeting, he added. Erdogan did not announce a date or specify the format of the planned talks.
Erdogan met Zelensky in Istanbul on Saturday, Oct. 31, for discussions and a working dinner. He said they examined diplomatic steps toward ending the war in detail.
“We conveyed to Mr. Zelensky and explained that, to end this war between Russia and Ukraine, it is essential to take steps through diplomacy and negotiations,” Erdogan said.
“As Turkey, we are doing and will continue to do everything we can to open the way to peace.”
During Zelensky’s visit, the two leaders discussed reviving diplomatic efforts to end the war, protecting civilian shipping and ports in the Black Sea, strengthening air defenses and expanding defense industry cooperation.
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Turkey has repeatedly acted as an intermediary between Kyiv and Moscow, including in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which operated in 2022 and 2023, and in negotiations involving exchanges of prisoners of war and detained civilians.
Turkey has also called for de-escalation in the Black Sea following heightened attacks on commercial vessels by Kyiv and Moscow in 2026, with Turkish vessels among those targeted.
In August, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called on Kyiv and Moscow to implement a mutual moratorium on attacking commercial vessels in the Black Sea as Ankara began restricting the movement of commercial vessels heading toward the Black Sea.
Ankara has consistently supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity and offered to host direct talks between the countries’ leaders.
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