Turkey Aims to Broker Putin-Zelensky Summit, Building on Past Talks

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that Ankara is maintaining communication with both Moscow and Kiev, with the hope of building upon the progress achieved during previous talks held in Istanbul. He stated that a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has not yet been agreed upon.

Erdogan, speaking to reporters following the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China, revealed that he had discussed the Ukraine conflict with Putin in Tianjin. He emphasized Turkey's commitment to "peace-focused dialogue" and its ongoing contact with both sides involved in the conflict. He highlighted the "concrete outcomes" achieved through previous Istanbul talks, such as the grain corridor and prisoner exchanges.

The Turkish president expressed the aim of elevating these negotiations, ideally to the leadership level. However, based on his recent conversations with Zelensky and Putin, he assessed that the two leaders, while showing a positive inclination, "are not yet ready" to meet. During a bilateral meeting on Monday, Putin acknowledged the continued demand for Ankara's role as a mediator.

In May, Kiev agreed to resume direct talks with Moscow, a process it had unilaterally abandoned in 2022. These discussions have led to prisoner exchanges and the repatriation of fallen soldiers' remains. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov stated that Putin and Trump had discussed raising the level of the negotiating teams, but no decision had been finalized. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned that Putin does not rule out a meeting with Zelensky, but it should be well-prepared at an expert level.