Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has voiced optimism that Turkey may soon host a new round of high-level peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Speaking to TRT Haber, Erdogan said that Turkey remained committed to its role as a mediator and called for an immediate end to the war.
“We believe this war must end now. I always emphasize our readiness to host a leaders’ summit. Turkey sincerely hopes, dear friends, that just as the negotiation table was set in Istanbul, a table of peace will be set in Turkey in the near future, and this bloody war will end,” — Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan stressed that since the beginning of the conflict, Ankara had followed a “balanced, fair, and peace-oriented policy.” He cited the Istanbul grain corridor agreement, the prisoner exchanges, and earlier rounds of peace talks held in Istanbul and Antalya as concrete examples of Turkey’s efforts to promote dialogue and stability.
Direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv resumed in May 2025, marking the first face-to-face diplomacy between the two sides in over a year. So far, three rounds have taken place — on May 16, June 2, and July 23.
During the first round, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a major prisoner swap using a 1000-for-1000 formula. The second round focused on the repatriation of the fallen and the exchange of memoranda outlining each side’s vision for peace.
Russia's position includes demands for international recognition of Crimea, the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), as well as the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces, and Ukraine’s commitment to neutrality and non-nuclear status.
Ukraine, on the other hand, insists on a complete and unconditional ceasefire as a prerequisite to deeper peace talks and is seeking international security guarantees. Kyiv firmly rejects any recognition of Russia's territorial acquisitions since 2014 and proposes that the current line of contact serve as the starting point for future negotiations.
While the two sides remain far apart on core issues, Erdogan’s renewed diplomatic overture signals Turkey’s continued ambition to play a central role in shaping the endgame of the conflict.
