Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan thanked Russian and Ukrainian negotiators for their "unwavering trust" in Türkiye, after both exchanged proposals for a potential cease-fire during the second round of talks hosted by Türkiye, marking a cautious step forward in efforts to end the war.
In a statement after the talks, Fidan said both sides shared written memoranda outlining their visions for a cease-fire and would begin technical-level work on the documents in the coming days.
He added that the two delegations also agreed to expand humanitarian exchanges and that preparations for a possible leaders’ summit were ongoing.
"I would like to reiterate my gratitude to both countries for their unwavering trust in Türkiye at this historic process," Fidan said on X.
Fidan welcomed the constructive tone of the meeting and reiterated Türkiye’s commitment to facilitating a result-oriented peace process.
Kyiv had demanded an unconditional cease-fire as a first step; Moscow had a cease-fire on conditions that included Western states refraining from supplying weapons to Ukraine.
Ukrainian delegates handed over to Russian negotiators a list of children Kyiv wants Moscow to return to Ukraine, the Ukrainian president's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said after the meeting.
The talks were intended to discuss ways out of Russia's three-year war against Ukraine, but the two sides were apparently far apart going into the negotiations.
The last round of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul on May 16 yielded the biggest prisoner swap of the war, with each side freeing 1,000 prisoners, but no sign of peace or a cease-fire, as they merely stated their opening negotiating positions, which were far apart.
NATO member Türkiye, which has striven to maintain relations with both Kyiv and Moscow, has become a key mediator amid U.S. President Donald Trump's push for a deal to end the over three-year war.
Last week, Foreign Minister Fidan held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.
