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Türkiye is ready to host a peace summit with Russia and Ukraine, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday, as he met with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Istanbul.
“We are ready to host a peace summit between the two countries,” Erdoğan told reporters in a joint news conference, as he noted that Türkiye is ready to provide all support to facilitate a new agreement between the two warring countries.
Pledging full support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, the president said Ankara would also support efforts to reach a new agreement regarding the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
“Türkiye supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine; Will strongly contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war ends,” he said.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy thanked Erdoğan and the Turkish people for their support to Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
He said Russia would not be invited to the first peace summit due to be held in Switzerland and that a Russian representative could be invited to the next meeting after a roadmap for peace would be discussed and agreed upon with Ukrainian allies at the meeting in Switzerland.
Türkiye has positioned itself as an intermediary in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Erdoğan was a key player in brokering the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Türkiye hosted a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers as well as unsuccessful talks between negotiators from the two countries aimed at ending the hostilities.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for more than two years. For its campaign, Kyiv has received massive international support, mostly from Western allies, in the form of weapons deliveries, humanitarian aid, and sanctions against Russia.
Türkiye was a key player in the now-on-hold deal that allowed for the safe passage of Ukrainian grain shipments via the Black Sea despite the blockade of its ports after Moscow launched its invasion in late February 2022.
The accord, brokered by Ankara and the United Nations in July 2022, ended after Moscow refused to renew it. Ankara has ramped up efforts to try to revive the initiative.
Moscow withdrew from the accord on July 17, accusing the West of hampering its grain and fertilizer exports. It has since attacked Ukrainian agricultural and port infrastructure. Moscow has said that it was ready to return to the deal once an accompanying agreement concerning Russia was implemented.
