Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated Ankara is working to prepare a gathering between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with U.S. President Donald Trump doubtlessly becoming a member of the talks, Reuters reported.
Talking after his assembly with Trump, Erdogan stated on June 26 that the U.S. president expressed curiosity in collaborating if the assembly have been to happen in Turkey.
"He stated,'If Russian President Vladimir Putin involves Istanbul or Ankara for an answer, then I can even come,'" Erdogan advised reporters. "We are going to maintain the required contacts and, God prepared, understand this assembly as quickly as attainable."
Zelensky and Trump met through the NATO summit on June 25, the place the 2 leaders mentioned battlefield developments, Kyiv's want for added air protection methods, and the potential for co-production of drones.
Zelensky has beforehand voiced openness to a trilateral assembly. On Could 27, he advised public broadcaster Suspilne that he was prepared to take a seat down with each Trump and Putin.
Putin has claimed he’s additionally prepared to fulfill, however didn’t attend earlier talks proposed in Istanbul, opting as an alternative to ship lower-level delegates to peace discussions held on Could 16.
The Kremlin has lengthy sought to painting Zelensky as "illegitimate", with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in February claiming that any talks should think about "authorized elements" of his mandate.
Turkey beforehand hosted direct peace talks in March 2022 and has remained one of many few international locations with open strains to each Kyiv and Moscow. The most recent spherical of direct talks on June 2 was held in Istanbul.
The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek