Erdoğan urges peace as Zelensky doubts fruitful Istanbul talks
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke by phone with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday and expressed hope that the second round of talks in Istanbul would lead to peace, Erdoğan's press service reported. Zelensky, however, remains less optimistic.
What you need to know
- Second round of Istanbul talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations is likely to take place on Monday, 2nd June.
- No documents from Russia: Russia has not delivered the promised memorandum following the prisoner exchange, complicating preparations for further talks.
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hopes that the talks will lead to peace.
Erdogan spoke with Zelensky
The Turkish President stated that it is crucial for the parties in conflict to send "strong delegations" to the talks, and a meeting of the leaders of Russia and Ukraine after this round of negotiations would give a stronger impetus to the "peace process."
Zelensky reported that he agreed with Erdogan that the forthcoming talks with Russia must be substantive. He also added that for progress to be made in peace negotiations, a ceasefire is essential.
The second round of Istanbul talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations is likely to take place on Monday, 2nd June. The previous round of negotiations in Istanbul was held on 16th May. Russia sent an exceptionally low-level delegation to these talks in Turkey, led by one of Vladimir Putin's advisers.
Zelensky: Russia is making the meeting fruitless
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
"We discussed diplomatic efforts—ours and our partners'. Russia ignores all global calls for a ceasefire and continues its aggression. Furthermore, the Russians have not managed to present the so-called "memorandum," which they promised to prepare immediately following a 1,000-to-1,000 exchange, for over a week. Ukraine has not received any documents from them. Nor has Turkey. For the meeting to be meaningful, we need to understand its agenda and prepare properly for the talks. Unfortunately, Russia is doing everything it can to make the next meeting fruitless," the President conveyed on Telegram.
President of Ukraine: Grateful for Turkey's clear stance
Zelensky emphasised the importance of cooperation with Turkey, which consistently supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. "We are grateful for Turkey's clear stance—consistent and full support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity", the President stressed. He added that Turkey played a key role in organising the meeting that led to the release of a thousand Ukrainian citizens from Russian captivity.
During talks with Fidan, Zelensky highlighted the need to increase sanctions on Russia. "Moscow must stop imposing its terms on the world and start conducting honest negotiations", emphasised the President of Ukraine.
