Negotiations on Black Sea security are underway in Ankara and could shape the region’s post-war stability, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during an April 15 press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Odesa.
The meeting will focus on upholding peace in the Black Sea after a potential ceasefire, sources from Turkey's defense ministry told regional media outlets.
The consultations between Washington and Moscow will be held in a closed format, TASS wrote, citing an unnamed source.
"It will be extremely difficult to digest any proposal," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan 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."
"They were hit with batons, also had their RT signs ripped off, had their gas masks smashed, then tear gas was sprayed in their direction," the outlet's Telegram channel said.
Turkey has positioned itself as a potential mediator in Russia's war against Ukraine, now in its fourth year, by maintaining diplomatic and economic ties with both nations while supporting Ukraine's sovereignty.
"The United States raised concerns regarding access to banking and contracted services as well as the need to ensure stable and sustainable staffing levels at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow," the U.S. State Department said.
Turkish imports of Russian oil plummeted in February in response to sweeping sanctions the U.S. and U.K. imposed on Russia's oil sector in January.
Key developments on Feb. 27: * Trump says he 'can't believe' he called Zelensky 'dictator' * First contacts with Trump administration 'inspire certain hopes,' Putin says * Russia to lose 'chance for world leadership' if it doesn't get out of war by 2026, Budanov says * Turkey considers sending peacekeepers to Ukraine, Bloomberg
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly discussed the possibility with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
"We expect that today's meeting will be first in the series of similar expert consultations that will move us closer, together with the U.S., in overcoming disagreements and strengthening trust," spokesperson Maria Zakharova said during a press briefing.
A Russian delegation arrived at the residency of the U.S. Consul General in Istanbul, starting the second round of Russian-U.S. talks, the state news agency TASS reported on Feb. 27.
Key developments on Feb. 26: * Trump says he will meet Zelensky on Feb. 28 in Washington to sign agreement on minerals * No security guarantees in US minerals deal, to be discussed later, Zelensky says * US, Russia to meet again tomorrow in Istanbul, Lavrov says * No sanctions relief for Russia pre-deal
The first round of talks on Feb. 18 in Saudi Arabia marked the first direct negotiations between the U.S. and Russia since Moscow's full-scale invasion began.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan highlighted Turkey's previous mediation efforts, including the Black Sea grain deal, which enabled Ukrainian agricultural exports until Russia withdrew in 2023.
A U.S. Justice Department investigation found that Russia funneled billions of dollars through American banks to Turkey in 2022, using the Akkuyu nuclear power plant project as cover to evade sanctions, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that there was an urgent need for a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine, at a press conference on Jan. 20.
While most European countries remain on frosty terms with Russia since the launch of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a handful have retained varying degrees of positive diplomatic relations.
Turkey won't support a peace plan that involves freezing the war in Ukraine and Kyiv making territorial concessions to Moscow, Ukrinform reported on Nov. 29, citing Ukrainian lawmaker Ahtem Chiygoz.
Turkey is in talks with the United States in an effort to receive a sanctions waiver to further continue payments for Russian natural gas imports, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Nov. 25.
"The option of freezing the line of military conflict is unacceptable for the Russian side," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in comments reported by Interfax.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will propose his own peace plan for Ukraine during the G20 talks commencing on Nov. 18, Bloomberg reported, citing undisclosed sources.
The European Union’s anti-fraud agency opened an investigation into the possible exporting of rebranded Russian oil via Turkey into the EU, Politico reported on Nov. 5, citing two undisclosed sources.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said this "cannot but cause surprise," given the Turkish leadership's statements about its readiness to mediate between Ukraine and Russia.
Turkey has quietly blocked the export of U.S.-origin military goods to Russia following a warning from Washington, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Oct. 22.
Key developments on Aug. 2: * Ukraine's second Ada-class corvette launched in Turkey * Occupied Crimea hit by Ukrainian missile attack, Russia claims * China claims its Ukraine peace plan has support of more than 110 countries * 'Signs of escalation' on battlefield in Kharkiv sector, Ukraine's military says * Russia exaggerating numbers of contract
Turkey ratified an agreement on a free trade zone with Ukraine on Aug. 2, more than two years after the agreement was originally signed.
Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi will make its maiden voyage in 2026 and be officially handed over to Ukraine in the first quarter of 2027, the Turkish shipbuilding company STM said.
To appreciate the booming Russian fossil fuels trade, one need only go to a rooftop cafe along the Bosporus. Back in March, while sipping tea on an Istanbul terrace, I watched as, over the course of two hours, at least four tankers – later identified through open-source marine traffic websites – carried
"A peace platform that will prevent deepening polarization, has high participation and representation, and prioritizes diplomacy should be established," he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on July 4 that the alleged peace plan proposal drafted during negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow in 2022 in Istanbul, could be the basis for a "settlement" of a Russia's full-scale war, the Kremlin-controlled TASS news agency wrote.
At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kazakhstan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Turkey could help mediate an end to the war.
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