Erdogan says will work to bring Putin, Zelenskyy together in Istanbul

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday he would work to arrange a meeting between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia.

Erdogan told a press conference on Friday that he had met with the visiting Ukrainian delegation the day before, as well as had a conversation with Putin as part of Turkey's peace efforts.

Commenting on the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, Erdogan said that he had met with the Ukrainian delegation and had a conversation with the honourable Vladimir Putin, and "we asked them for their support," according to a readout provided by his office.

"In the future, especially, perhaps already this week, through negotiations with the honourable Putin and also with the honourable Trump, we will try to find out whether we can bring these leaders (Putin and Zelenskyy) together in Istanbul," the Turkish leader said.

On 23 July, a third round of peace talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations took place in Istanbul. The first round of talks was held in Istanbul on 16 May this year, and the second on 2 June.

At a briefing following the talks, Oleksandr Bevz, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, said that the Ukrainian side had once again proposed holding a leaders’ meeting in August.

Ukraine had previously proposed holding a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin with the participation of Erdoğan and possibly Trump. The Turkish side supports this idea.