Speaking to journalists aboard the presidential plane while returning from South Korea, Erdogan responded to a question on the possibility of Turkiye hosting a trilateral summit with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders.

The president discussed the matter in detail with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, during the latter’s visit to Türkiye on Saturday.

He said, “We emphasized to Mr. Zelensky the fundamental importance of taking diplomatic steps in negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. In Turkiye, we are doing everything we can to pave the way toward peace, and we will continue to do so.”

Erdogan also expressed his interest in meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to address the issue with Moscow, following his talks with Zelensky.

Russia began its military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, after demanding that Kyiv cease attacks on the civilian population of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, two territories that gained independence from Ukraine, and to “denazify” and “demilitarize” that government.

jdt/iff/ro/mche