Türkiye is ready to host negotiations for a cease-fire and permanent peace between Russia and Ukraine, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Sunday.
Erdoğan's office confirmed that the offer was made during a phone call on Sunday with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
Putin earlier Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul aimed at ending the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was willing to talk but Moscow must first agree to a cease-fire.
In their later phone call, Erdoğan welcomed Putin's statement and said Türkiye was ready to host negotiations that would lead to a permanent solution, according to a readout from Erdogan's office.
Erdoğan also told Putin that a comprehensive cease-fire would create the necessary environment for peace talks, the readout said.
In a separate call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Erdoğan said "a historic turning point" had been reached and that the opportunity should be seized, according to Erdoğan's office.
"A historic turning point has been reached in efforts to end the war between Ukraine and Russia, that this opportunity must be seized, and that Türkiye is ready to provide all kinds of support, including hosting negotiations, to achieve a cease-fire and lasting peace," the Turkish presidency said.
Macron, in the meanwhile, stressed the "necessity" for Russia to agree to an unconditional 30-day cease-fire, his office said of the call.
NATO member Türkiye has maintained cordial ties with both Kyiv and Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
It has voiced support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and provided it with military help, while opposing sanctions on Russia.
Erdoğan, a longtime champion of resolving the conflict, has repeatedly offered Türkiye's help to host peace talks and do whatever it can to promote a resolution.
The Turkish metropolis previously hosted a series of talks in March 2022 aimed at finding common ground to end the armed conflict. However, the talks failed to reach a settlement for the war, which is now in its fourth year.
The draft accords discussed then would have obliged Ukraine to give up its NATO ambitions and accept permanent neutral and nuclear-free status in return for security guarantees from the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France – the five permanent U.N. Security Council members.
Separately in July 2022, Istanbul hosted the negotiations for the "Black Sea Initiative," where Kyiv and Moscow signed landmark agreements to free up Ukraine's Black Sea ports and clear the way for exporting millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain, as well as Russian grain and fertilizer.
Brokered by Türkiye and the U.N., the then-deal ended a standoff that had threatened world food security and eased a looming global food crisis.
Meant to be extended every four months, the deal was hailed as a beacon of hope amid war and was renewed three times – the last two for only two months – before collapsing completely in July 2023.
It allowed 32.8 million metric tons (36.2 million tons) of food to be exported from Ukraine since August 2022, more than half to developing countries, including those getting relief from the World Food Programme (WFP).
