Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Monday that there was a new window of opportunity to achieve peace between Ukraine and Russia after recent statements by the two countries, adding he hoped this opportunity would not be squandered.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Türkiye on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump told him publicly to immediately accept the Kremlin leader’s proposal of direct talks and raised the prospect of attending the talks himself.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Erdoğan said he had spoken to Zelensky on Monday and that Türkiye was ready and happy to host any potential peace talks between the sides.
“A new window of opportunity has opened with the recent contacts. We hope that this opportunity will not be wasted,” Erdoğan said after talking with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Zelensky said he wanted US President Donald Trump to attend the direct peace talks with Russia, after the US leader said he was “thinking” of going.