Turkish Foreign Minister Meets Ukrainian President in Kyiv
Kyiv, The Gulf Observer: Türkiye’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan, was received by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv during his official visit to Ukraine, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced on Friday. As part of his engagements, Minister Fidan also held discussions with Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
While no additional details were provided regarding the content of the meetings, they were seen as part of Türkiye’s ongoing diplomatic efforts to facilitate dialogue between Ukraine and Russia amid the ongoing conflict.
Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Fidan held a joint press conference with Ukraine’s Acting Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, during which he reiterated Türkiye’s readiness to host a new round of peace talks involving the leaders of Ukraine and Russia, along with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Türkiye hopes to bring President Putin and President Zelenskyy together for the next round of talks. We believe direct dialogue is essential for achieving a sustainable resolution,” said Fidan.
In response, Acting Foreign Minister Sybiha expressed Ukraine’s willingness to explore a temporary ceasefire, stating, “We want to end the war this year and are open to discussing a ceasefire—whether for 30, 50, or 100 days.”
The remarks come amid renewed diplomatic activity following the historic May 16 meeting in Istanbul, where Russian and Ukrainian delegations convened for their first direct negotiations in three years. The meeting led to a landmark agreement on a large-scale prisoner exchange involving 1,000 detainees from each side.
Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that Moscow had finalized its position document for a potential second round of peace talks in Türkiye. However, Ukrainian officials have stated that the memorandum has yet to be officially delivered.
Türkiye continues to play a pivotal role as a regional mediator, maintaining balanced relations with both Kyiv and Moscow while actively promoting diplomatic solutions to end the conflict.
