Turkey’s Erdogan says Putin and Zelensky ‘not yet ready’ for face-to-face meet on war
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in China on Sept 1.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
- Erdogan discussed ending the Ukraine war with Putin and Zelensky, but leaders are "not yet ready" for a meeting.
- Talks in Istanbul show peace is possible; Turkey wants to "raise the level of negotiations gradually."
- Turkey is mediating, keeping channels open with both Moscow and Kyiv since Russia's 2022 invasion.
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ANKARA – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he discussed ways to end the Ukraine war with Russian leader Vladimir Putin during talks in China and with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by phone, but that the sides were “not yet ready” for a leaders’ meeting.
Mr Erdogan spoke to reporters aboard his plane returning from China, where he met Mr Putin and then called Mr Zelensky.
He said talks in recent months between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Istanbul showed the path to peace remains open.
Turkey favours “raising the level of negotiations gradually” to turn hopes for peace into concrete results, he said, adding that any initiative would ultimately need to be handled at the leaders’ level, though conditions were not yet in place.
Nato member Turkey has kept channels open with both Moscow and Kyiv since Russia’s 2022 invasion and has sought to mediate between them. REUTERS
