Erdogan Hosts Ukraine Officials Ahead of Peace Talks With Russia
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with top Ukrainian officials on Wednesday in Ankara, just hours before a new round of Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations was set to begin in Istanbul.
The Ukrainian delegation, led by Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak and National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, arrived in Turkey for what will be the third official round of direct talks with Russian representatives.
The Gaze reports this, referring to Yermak's post on social media.
Yermak noted that the Ukrainian side expressed its appreciation to Turkey for its consistent political and security support since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The sides also discussed the upcoming negotiations in Istanbul, the broader regional security environment, and prospects for deeper defense cooperation between Kyiv and Ankara.
“We are also grateful to Turkey for its readiness to provide a negotiating platform and facilitate diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace for Ukraine,” Yermak added.
In addition to the meeting with Erdogan, the Ukrainian delegation held talks with Erdogan’s chief advisor Akif Çağatay Kılıç and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
The latest talks between Ukraine and Russia are scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. local time in Istanbul.
Ukraine’s negotiating team will be headed by Umerov, who previously served as Minister of Defense and now leads the National Security and Defense Council.
Russia’s delegation will once again be led by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Putin who was also in charge of Moscow’s team during the failed 2022 negotiations in Istanbul.
Previous rounds of talks this year took place on May 16 and June 2.
The Ukrainian side has prioritized the return of prisoners of war, the repatriation of Ukrainian children forcibly taken to Russia, and the groundwork for a possible leaders’ summit.
Read more on The Gaze: Can Türkiye bring peace or ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine?