AMN / WEB DESK
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Friday said that Turkey is ready to host a peace summit on the war in Ukraine that both Ukraine and Russia would attend. Erdogan announced after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Istanbul.
“We are giving our utmost contribution for the war to end on the basis of negotiations,” Erdogan said, adding he reiterated Ankara’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Throughout the two-year war between Russia and Ukraine, Turkey, a NATO member, has sought to maintain good diplomatic relations with both countries and is expected to urge peace negotiations between the two foes.
As part of its balancing act between Ukraine and Russia, Ankara has offered to host peace talks while keeping up its defense industry ties with Ukraine and deepening its energy cooperation with Russia. Additionally, it has inked an accord to take part in the postwar reconstruction of Ukraine.
Swiss summit
After talks with Erdogan in Istanbul, Zelenskyy said a Russian representative could be invited to future negotiations after a road map toward peace is agreed upon with Ukrainian allies at a meeting in Switzerland. He said Russia would not be invited to the summit in Switzerland, due to be held in the coming months.
“We don’t see how you can invite people who block, destroy and kill everything,” he said.