Turkish Foreign Ministry sources said on Thursday that there is no question of a delay or postponement of the Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul, as the meeting schedule had not been finalised in the first place, Türkiye’s Anadolu Agency reported.
The statement came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a closed-door meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, ahead of the expected negotiations.
The bilateral meeting and the inter-delegation working lunch, held at the Presidential Complex, lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes.
The meeting was also attended by National Defence Minister Yasar Guler, National Intelligence Organization head Ibrahim Kalin, and Akif Cagatay Kilic, chief presidential advisor on foreign policy and security.
Turkish Foreign Ministry sources said the schedule for the peace talks will be made public once it is finalised.
Zelenskyy arrived in the Turkish capital Ankara for a meeting with Erdogan ahead of expected Russia-Ukraine peace talks. The plane carrying Zelenskyy landed at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport at 12.14 pm (0914 GMT).
Zelenskyy was welcomed at the airport by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and officials who came to Türkiye for a NATO foreign ministers meeting in the southern Turkish city of Antalya.
Also on Thursday, a Russian delegation arrived in Türkiye for the negotiations on a possible ceasefire with Ukraine, the Russian RIA Novosti news agency reported.
The bilateral meeting and the inter-delegation working lunch, held behind closed doors, lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes, according to Anadolu Agency.
The closed-door meeting was also attended by Türkiye’s National Defence Minister Yasar Guler, National Intelligence Organisation head Ibrahim Kalin, and Akif Cagatay Kilic, chief presidential advisor on foreign policy and security.
Earlier on X, Türkiye’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun also said Erdogan and Zelenskyy are expected to discuss the latest developments in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, addressing the situation from all angles.
During the visit, Erdogan is also expected to stress Türkiye's call for an immediate ceasefire and the start of peace negotiations, he added.
The exchange of personal barbs follows Vladimir Putin's decision not to send his top officials to the meeting in Istanbul.
