News - Erdogan: Putin and Zelensky Not Ready for Direct Peace Talks

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated after contacts with both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky that the two leaders are not yet prepared to meet face-to-face. His remarks came upon returning from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China, Milliyet reported. Turkey Calls for Fair Peace Through Negotiations Erdogan explained that during his meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the summit, they discussed potential paths toward ending the conflict through what he described as a “fair peace.” The Turkish leader stressed that Ankara continues to advocate for resolution through negotiations. “Gradually raising the level of negotiations is the path we desire. We must transform the hope for peace into solution-oriented, concrete results. For this, we must handle the issue at the level of leaders,” Erdogan said. Istanbul Process Mentioned But Leaders Hesitant Erdogan noted that he discussed the possibility of resuming the Istanbul peace process with both leaders. According to him, Putin responded with “why not” when asked about continuing talks in Turkey, yet neither side is ready to proceed at this stage. Impact of the Alaska and White House Summits The Turkish president also said he spoke with Putin about the outcomes of the Alaska summit with US President Donald Trump, and later with Zelensky regarding his position on the matter. Trump had earlier announced preparations for a meeting between Putin and Zelensky after summits held in Alaska on August 15 and in Washington on August 18. Positions of Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that Putin is ready to meet Zelensky only if all necessary issues are thoroughly prepared. Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said discussions about elevating the level of delegations are ongoing. Zelensky, however, emphasized that Ukraine prefers a trilateral format with Trump’s participation. According to Politico, Trump offered to attend the talks, but Putin reportedly replied that it was “not necessary” for the US president to be present. Uncertainty Over Future Peace Talks Trump later voiced doubts about the likelihood of a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky, though he insisted that a three-way summit will eventually take place. In late August, the White House stated that neither the Russian nor Ukrainian president was ready to end the conflict, though AFP reported that Trump’s team continues to work on the possibility of such a summit. Most recently, Ushakov confirmed that no concrete agreements have yet been reached between Putin and Trump regarding a meeting with Zelensky.