Turkish FM to meet Zelenskyy, other officials in Ukraine
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said he plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials in Kyiv.
“Just as we did in Russia, we will again discuss Türkiye’s position, our views, and the urgent need for a ceasefire. We have our own observations, and we will receive feedback from them as well. As I said, once the negotiation process starts, we see the situation begin to take a more optimistic shape,” Fidan told reporters on Thursday while en route to Kyiv.
According to him, “both sides, in principle, want a ceasefire,” but on the other hand, “both sides have different ceasefire demands.”
“These demands need to be reconciled — that’s what negotiation and mediation are for. And as those demands are reconciled, the parties will need to face each other to some extent," Fidan added.
The minister stressed that Türkiye is an "ideal actor" for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to end the war.
"Given the current circumstances, the parties need a place where they can come face-to-face and sit around a table to negotiate. In this regard, Türkiye is actually an ideal actor," Fidan said.
Noting that any diplomatic success stems from the parties being willing to talk and producing outcomes as a result, Fidan highlighted the exchange of 1,000 prisoners as a significant step in this direction.
He called on the parties to officially declare and present their negotiating positions. The minister said that during his visit to the Russian Federation, the Turkish side once again emphasized Ankara's efforts aimed at ending Moscow's war with Kyiv.
“As a major regional country, we’ve not only tried to stop the war from the very beginning but have also closely followed all of its dimensions. We shared our views on what realistic parameters could make a ceasefire possible," Fidan added.