Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha have discussed efforts to establish a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war and achieve lasting peace.
Fidan met with Sybiha on Wednesday in Antalya, southern Türkiye, on the sidelines of an informal NATO foreign ministers meeting, said Turkish diplomatic sources.
Fidan underlined Türkiye's readiness to provide all kinds of support – including hosting mediation and peace talks, which is set to do in Istanbul on Thursday – to help achieve peace in Ukraine.
For his part, Sybiha said he thanked his Turkish counterpart for his invitation to Türkiye, and that he informed him about the latest developments on the front line in Ukraine and in terms of diplomacy.
"The epicentre of world diplomacy is now in Türkiye, which is playing an active mediation role. We appreciate it," Sybiha said on X, noting they had a thorough conversation about ways to advance "meaningful peace process."
'Unconditional readiness for full, durable ceasefire'
"I reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to peace, our immediate and unconditional readiness for a full and durable ceasefire, as well as our offer of the highest-level direct meeting between Ukraine and Russia," he added.
The meeting also covered preparations for a planned visit to Türkiye by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Erdogan, one of the few leaders able to talk to both sides, has continued to offer to host and mediate peace talks.
With Donald Trump’s election as the US president, diplomatic activity has regained momentum.
On May 11, Russian President Putin proposed resuming the direct negotiations that were cut off three years ago, this time without preconditions, and requested that Türkiye host the talks in Istanbul on May 15.
Ukraine responded positively to the proposal, and the international community welcomed the Istanbul peace talks agenda.
During meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte in Ankara, Erdogan says alliance should not be part of Russia-Ukraine war.
