“Once again, this situation highlights the importance of Turkey—or Istanbul—in the pursuit of peace. We are ready to host such a meeting at any moment. I would very much like the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump in Budapest to take place. We believe that any form of dialogue is useful for ending this conflict. We have defended this position from the very beginning, worked toward it, and consistently stated that a just peace is possible,” Erdogan said.
The Turkish leader stressed that his country maintains “good relations with both sides” of the conflict. “This gives us an advantage on the path to peace, and we are determined to use this situation for the benefit of humanity,” he added.
Putin and Trump remain open to future talks
Putin and Trump had agreed to hold a new meeting during a phone conversation on October 16, with Budapest named as the preliminary venue for talks on the Ukrainian settlement. The two leaders last met on August 15 in Anchorage, Alaska.
However, Trump later announced that he had canceled the Budapest meeting, saying it “didn’t feel right” and that the two “would not reach where they needed to go.”
Putin clarified that the meeting was “not canceled, but rather postponed.” He added, “Now I see that the US president has decided to cancel or postpone this meeting—more likely to postpone. What can I say? Dialogue is always better than confrontation, disputes, or, even worse, war.”
The Russian president noted that the summit proposal in Budapest originally came from the American side, and he agreed with the idea but cautioned against approaching it “lightly,” saying that a lack of preparation would prevent any meaningful outcome.
Turkey continues to serve as diplomatic ground
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Washington remains open to dialogue with Moscow despite recent tensions.
In May, June, and July, Istanbul hosted three rounds of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine. During these meetings, the sides exchanged memorandums, reached agreements on large-scale prisoner exchanges, and discussed the possibility of further negotiations at the leadership level.
