Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan informed Russian President Vladimir Putin that Turkey will support a peace process in Ukraine that involves “all parties,” according to a statement from Erdogan’s office on Wednesday.
During a phone call with Putin, Erdogan emphasized that Ankara is closely monitoring developments in the peace efforts and reiterated Turkey’s backing for initiatives aimed at establishing a lasting peace with the participation of all stakeholders—a reference to Ukraine, though not mentioned by name in the statement.
Putin Thanks Turkey for Hosting Talks
The Turkish presidency noted that Putin thanked Erdogan for Turkey’s role in hosting peace negotiations. Since May, Ankara has hosted three rounds of diplomatic talks between Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul, which resulted in prisoner exchanges but little tangible progress toward ending the war.
Turkey’s Balancing Role
Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Turkey has managed to maintain relations with both Moscow and Kyiv. While refraining from joining Western sanctions against Russia, Ankara has repeatedly stressed the importance of Ukraine’s territorial integrity—particularly regarding Crimea, home to a large Muslim Tatar community that Russia annexed in 2014.
