Erdogan Proposes Istanbul Summit with Trump and Putin to Discuss Ukraine
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed his intention to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin about organizing a high-level summit in Istanbul focused on the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war.
The Gaze reports this, referring to Daily Sabah.
Erdogan made the statement on Friday, emphasizing Ankara’s commitment to fostering dialogue aimed at achieving peace.
“I might speak to Putin and Trump this week to see if we can hold a leaders’ meeting on the war in Istanbul,” Erdogan told reporters.
Erdogan underscored that Ankara is determined to enhance its global diplomatic profile by positioning itself as a neutral mediator.
“The last meeting was at Çırağan. My foreign minister conducted the meeting on my behalf. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian delegation met with us in Ankara before moving on to Çırağan. I received them and had meetings with them,” Erdogan emphasized. “Of course, I also talked with Mr. Vladimir Putin during these meetings, and we sought his support.”
He added that Turkey once again aims to bring together the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, and the United States to achieve peace in the ongoing war.
It is noted that Ankara seeks to strengthen its international authority as a key mediator and leverage Istanbul’s symbolic location to foster diplomacy among parties involved in global conflicts and disputes.
On July 23, Istanbul hosted a new round of negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian delegations, following their prior meeting with Erdoğan in Ankara.
Rustem Umerov, head of the Ukrainian delegation and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, stated after the talks that Ukraine is ready for an immediate ceasefire.
As The Gaze reported earlier, he also informed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that during the third round of talks in Istanbul, the Ukrainian delegation prioritized a complete ceasefire, a leaders’ summit with the participation of Presidents Trump and Erdogan by the end of August, and the return of all Ukrainian prisoners, including civilians and children.