16th March 2023 – (Ankara) During an extraordinary Organisation of Turkic States summit in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Turkey will continue its efforts to organize talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky.
Erdogan highlighted that the grain deal and prisoner swap, which became possible through Turkish mediation, demonstrated that both sides in the Ukrainian conflict could find common ground. The Turkish president emphasized that he was in favour of a just peace in Ukraine and maintained constant contact with Putin and Zelensky, and would continue to make efforts to arrange talks between them.
Turkey has repeatedly expressed its interest in becoming a mediator in the talks between Russia and Ukraine. Previously, consultations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations were held in Turkey.
However, on 11th January, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that while Russia had always been prepared to resolve issues through negotiations, Ukrainian laws prevented the president of the country from engaging in dialogue with the Kremlin, and Western states were not inclined to allow Kiev any flexibility in this matter. As a result, Peskov clarified that it was uncertain whether negotiations with Ukraine had any prospects.