Turkey proposes 'peace platform' to end war in Ukraine

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on July 6 proposed establishing a "peace platform" to end the war in Ukraine.

Fidan said current efforts to end the war "should be spread on a wider basis," the Turkish newspaper Haber7 reported.

"A peace platform that will prevent deepening polarization, has high participation and representation, and prioritizes diplomacy should be established," he said.

Fidan did not provide any further details.

Turkey has long been trying to take a leading role in peace negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Kazakhstan earlier this week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin that Turkey could help mediate an end to the war.

Putin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, rejected the idea, stating that Erdogan could not serve as an intermediary, without giving specific reasons.

While Turkey is a NATO member, Erdogan has aimed to maintain positive relations with both Russia and Ukraine, previously securing a deal for safe grain shipments from Ukraine's Black Sea ports that lasted for a year.

Ukraine repeatedly said the peace talks should be held on the basis of its 10-step peace formula, which includes a full withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. Moscow has rejected this proposal.

Kyiv is preparing for the second peace summit and aims to create a detailed action plan which will include steps related to "all the crises" caused by Russia's all-out war, Zelensky said.

Putin claims Istanbul peace plan draft still ‘on table’ for talks between Russia and Ukraine

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.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova