For first time in more than three years, direct Russia-Ukraine talks start in Istanbul – Fidan

(Extended)

Delegations from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul for the first direct talks since 2022.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan opened the meeting of the delegations with opening remarks, stressing the utmost importance of concluding a ceasefire agreement as soon as possible and laying the groundwork for a meeting between the leaders of the two countries.

"We are pleased to see that this opens a new window of opportunity. We think it is very important that Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelenskyy listened to the calls for peace voiced by our President and Mr. Trump. The willingness of Russia and Ukraine to start direct negotiations made today's critical stage possible," Fidan said.

According to him, at this stage there are two paths, and "one of them will mark the beginning of a period that will lead us to peace, and the second will lead to even greater destruction and loss of life."

"Which of these paths they choose will be decided by the parties themselves. Since the beginning of the war, we have been making intensive efforts to end this war," the Turkish minister added.

Among other things, Fidan noted that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "also made a lot of efforts to unite the parties," and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's visit to Ankara "was an important step towards the start of negotiations."

"The fact that we are hosting representatives of both sides in Istanbul demonstrates our strong will to end the war. I would like to draw your attention to one point. This meeting is the first direct contact at the first level between the two sides since March 2022," he stressed, calling for "taking advantage of this opportunity to advance towards peace."

In addition, the minister stressed that "we will together determine the next stage in accordance with the choices we make and the steps we take."

It is also very important that these negotiations form the basis of the leaders' meeting, Fidan stressed.

"Türkiye will always be with you in our efforts to end the war and achieve peace. We are also ready to make any possible contribution to the peace process," he said, concluding his opening remarks.

After the Turkish minister's speech, the cameras were turned off and negotiations between the delegations began.