Putin and Turkish Foreign Minister Discuss Ukraine Conflict and Bilateral Ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s foreign minister held talks in Moscow focused on efforts to bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine, as well as recent developments since the last round of direct negotiations between the two sides, according to a Turkish diplomatic source.

The Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, is currently on a two-day visit to Russia, where he met with Putin and Russia’s chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, on Monday. He is scheduled to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday.

Although no date or venue has been confirmed for future peace talks, Turkey has consistently expressed its willingness to host negotiations. Earlier this month, officials from both Russia and Ukraine held discussions in Istanbul for the first time since March 2022. While no ceasefire was reached, both sides agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war and submitted written proposals outlining their conditions for a potential truce.

During the meeting, Putin and Fidan reviewed recent diplomatic initiatives aimed at resolving the conflict and assessed the progress made since the Istanbul meeting, the Turkish source noted. Discussions also covered issues related to bilateral trade and energy cooperation.

Russian officials stated that while the talks primarily focused on the relationship between the two countries, the situation in Ukraine was also on the agenda. Ahead of the meetings, the Turkish side indicated that Fidan would reaffirm Ankara’s offer to continue facilitating dialogue between the parties.

Fidan is expected to visit Kyiv later in the week for discussions with Ukrainian officials, following up on the recent talks in Istanbul. Russian sources have identified several countries, including Turkey, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman, as possible venues for future negotiations.