Turkey is ready to host a new round of negotiations between Kiev and Moscow in Istanbul, the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday. He made the offer to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during a phone call.
“President Erdogan stated Turkey’s readiness, if agreed upon in principle by both parties, to meet with Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations in Istanbul, and to assume a role in a possible observation mechanism,” the presidency’s directorate of communications said in a statement.
Erdogan noted “the need for steps that would minimize the negative effects of the war and build trust by restoring as soon as possible the ground for peace between Russia and Ukraine,” it added.
Moscow has not yet commented on the Turkish proposal, with the Kremlin readout of the talks not mentioning it at all. According to the press release, the Ukraine part of the Putin-Erdogan phone call largely revolved around the safety of seafaring in the Black and Azov seas, as well as demining.