Kremlin rules out Erdogan’s mediation in Ukraine talks. Moscow insists on its own terms for ceasefire

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cannot be a mediator in the negotiations on Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Asked whether it was possible for the Turkish leader to mediate in these talks, the Kremlin spokesman said: “No, it is impossible.” Peskov added that the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict was discussed at a two-hour meeting between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the SCO summit in Astana.

During the conversation, the Turkish leader promised his Russian counterpart that Ankara would continue to make efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine. According to Erdogan, the conflict can be ended first by a ceasefire and then by peace. He also expressed confidence that a fair peace that would satisfy both sides is possible.

In June, Putin made a peace proposal for Ukraine. He named two conditions for the Russian side to cease fire in the area of ​​the special military operation. One of them is the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, as well as the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics. In addition, the Ukrainian authorities will have to officially notify of their refusal to join NATO.

Türkiye offers platform for resuming talks

In May, the agency’s source RIA News said that the Turkish authorities regularly raise the issue of readiness to resume the Istanbul format of negotiations on Ukraine. However, he complained that Ankara has not received answers on this issue.

“It is constantly raised on our side at the highest level. Mr. President [Эрдоган] is closely monitoring this issue. But so far there is no specific response from the parties [на предложение Турции]”,” the source said.

On March 8, Erdogan said that Ankara confirmed its readiness to hold peace talks with the participation of Russia and Ukraine. He also expressed regret that the Istanbul peace initiative did not lead to an end to the conflict and stressed that the conflict should be ended through negotiations. At the same time, the Turkish leader noted that unilateral peace initiatives on Ukraine without Russia’s participation have little chance of success.

Ukraine Refused to Stop Hostilities for Negotiations

On June 2, Hungarian Prime Minister Vektor Orban proposed to Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to consider the possibility of a ceasefire to begin negotiations with Moscow. Kyiv rejected this proposal. According to Deputy Head of the Presidential Office (OP) of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva, Ukraine plans to seek a settlement of the conflict through the so-called peace summits organized by Kyiv.

Zelensky later admitted that Putin could be invited to the next “peace summit,” specifying that he does not expect the Russian president to participate in possible negotiations “in the near future.” He also discussed a “just end” to the Ukrainian conflict, expressing the opinion that this requires joint efforts by the United States and China, whose leadership must “put aside differences.”