Erdogan Comments: Putin and Zelensky Are Still Not Ready for a Personal Meeting to Resolve the Conflict
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently addressed the status of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine amid ongoing efforts for peace and diplomacy.
During a statement upon returning from an official visit to China, Erdogan revealed that he discussed this issue both with Vladimir Putin during their meeting in China and via telephone with Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to Erdogan, both sides are still in preparation and not yet ready to sit at the negotiating table face-to-face.
He also noted that contacts between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Istanbul offer some optimism about achieving peace in the future, as there remains potential for gradual improvement.Erdogan emphasized Turkey’s support for gradually increasing the level of negotiations to turn diplomatic efforts into concrete results, stating that any initiative must ultimately be coordinated at the highest political level — the leaders of the respective countries.
However, he indicated that current conditions do not yet allow for such a meeting.Reports suggest that future negotiations could take place in Istanbul or another neutral location if diplomatic endeavors resume momentum.
Such developments could rekindle hopes for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, which has been ongoing for over a year with significant human losses and destruction in Ukraine.Meanwhile, Moscow continues to show reluctance for direct talks.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov stated that no agreements were reached regarding a potential meeting between Vladimir Putin and U.S.
President Donald Trump, as well as with Ukrainian leadership, during recent discussions in Alaska.
Additionally, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz remarked that no such meeting between Putin and Zelensky is currently planned, further complicating diplomatic efforts and reducing hopes for swift conflict resolution through high-level dialogue.