Any peace deal between Ukraine and Russia will be "difficult to digest," but it is preferable to continued war, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Reuters on April 4.
"It will be extremely difficult to digest any proposal," Fidan said. "But when we look at the other option, which is more death and destruction, I think whatever the conditions that we have... will be more reasonable."
Fidan said Turkey supports a U.S. initiative to end the war but acknowledged that the sides remain "a little bit far away" from reaching a peace deal.
His comments follow repeated statements from U.S. officials that Ukraine and Russia will have to make concessions. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on March 10 that Ukraine would need to cede territory as part of a potential agreement.
Kyiv had agreed to a full 30-day ceasefire in U.S.-mediated talks in Jeddah on March 11, but Russia rejected it unless it included conditions limiting Ukraine's military capabilities, such as ending foreign military aid.
Instead, Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. reached a partial ceasefire covering energy infrastructure and the Black Sea. Two days later, Zelensky accused Russia of striking Kherson's energy facilities, calling for a response from Washington.
While U.S. President Donald Trump has occasionally proposed measures such as additional sanctions and tariffs on Russia, he has not taken concrete steps to pressure Moscow, which continues its offensive operations.
Turkey, a NATO member, has maintained ties with both Kyiv and Moscow since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. While it has backed Ukraine's territorial integrity and supplied military aid, Ankara has refrained from imposing sanctions on Russia.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
(Updated: )
