Türkiye hopes Putin and Zelensky can meet in Istanbul

According to TASS news agency on August 28, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin could meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul, where three rounds of direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine have taken place.

"President Zelensky and President Putin can meet in Istanbul. Why not?", Vice President Yilmaz said on the Haberturk TV channel, while recalling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict.

"He is a leader who is trusted by both sides. Concrete results have been achieved in the Black Sea grain initiative, the prisoner exchange. Türkiye has always been an alternative to resolve the Ukrainian conflict," Vice President Yilmaz believes.

President Erdogan has previously stated several times his readiness to facilitate the peace process in Ukraine, including by holding possible talks at the leadership level that Türkiye could host on its territory.

On August 22, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the meeting between the Russian President and President Zelensky has not been scheduled. According to the Russian diplomat, President Putin will be ready for the meeting when the agenda is announced.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrei Sybiga said Kiev is ready to hold talks at the leadership level anywhere.

"I have confirmed Ukraine's readiness to take further steps towards peace. We are ready for leadership-level meetings in any format and location," Sybiha wrote in X after a phone call with the heads of European foreign ministries and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.