ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkey is ready to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul again, President Tayyip Erdogan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a phone call on Sunday, Erdogan’s office said.
Putin earlier on Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul aimed at ending the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv was willing to talk but Moscow must first agree to a ceasefire.
Putin made the offer in a televised statement from the Kremlin that began after 1:30 a.m. local time on Sunday (2230 GMT Saturday).
In their later phone call, Erdogan welcomed Putin’s statement and said Turkey was ready to host negotiations that would lead to a permanent solution, according to a readout from Erdogan’s office.
Erdogan also told Putin that a comprehensive ceasefire would create the necessary environment for peace talks, the readout said.
Putin’s proposal for direct talks with Ukraine came hours after major European powers including France demanded in Kyiv that Russia agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire or face “massive” new sanctions.
In a separate call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Erdogan said “a historic turning point” had been reached and that the opportunity should be seized, according to Erdogan’s office.
Macron stressed the “necessity” for Russia to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, his office said of the call.
NATO member Turkey has maintained cordial ties with both Kyiv and Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. It has voiced support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and provided it with military help, while opposing sanctions on Russia.
Turkey also hosted talks between Russia and Ukraine in March 2022. The draft accords discussed then would have obliged Ukraine to give up its NATO ambitions and accept permanent neutral and nuclear-free status in return for security guarantees from the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France – the five permanent U.N. Security Council members.
(Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Hugh Lawson)
