Erdogan offers to host Ukraine-Russia peace summit after meeting Zelensky

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey is ready to host a peace summit between Ukraine and Russia after the meeting with his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on March 8 in Istanbul.

Turkey has tried to maintain good ties with both Kyiv and Moscow amid Russia’s full-scale invasion and sought to position itself as a mediator in the war.

The final rounds of unsuccessful peace talks in 2022 occurred in the Turkish city of Antalya. Ukraine insisted on conducting peace talks based on its 10-step peace formula, which includes a full withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. Moscow denied the proposal.

"We are giving our utmost contribution for the war to end on the basis of negotiations. We are ready to host a peace summit that Russia will attend too," Erdogan said, adding that Turkey fully supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence.

Zelensky said that Ukraine "does not see a place for Russia" during the peace summit.

"We cannot see (opportunities) how to invite people who block everything, destroy and kill. We want to achieve the result, a just peace for Ukraine," Zelensky said.

Switzerland in January agreed to host a global peace summit on Ukraine. Over 160 countries will be invited to discuss Kyiv's peace formula and create a joint document on what needs to be done to restore the country’s sovereignty.

Andriy Yermak, Ukraine's Presidential Office head, said that Ukraine could invite representatives from Russia to a future peace summit if an upcoming meeting of global leaders in Switzerland proves successful.

Ukraine war latest: Zelensky rules out Erdogan’s idea of peace summit with Russia during Turkey visit

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The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova