Turkey unveils possible meeting between Putin and Zelensky in Istanbul within days
Russian President Vladimir Putin will likely meet in the coming days in Istanbul with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, Turkey’s Defense Minister, Hulusi Akar, said.
“Putin and Zelensky will meet in the coming days in Istanbul following (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan’s proposal”, Akar told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Germany, quoted by Sputnik news agency.
The two countries did not comment on the meeting until 1:35 GMT.
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Ukraine and Russia’s efforts to ensure the safety of civilians, including the organization of humanitarian corridors, by phone with his Turkish counterpart.
The Kremlin statement said: “Russian President Vladimir Putin had a phone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan regarding an issue raised by Erdogan on the situation in Mariupol, and the President of Russia pointed out that this city is liberated and that there are no military operations”.
“The situation in Ukraine was discussed in detail in the context of the special military operation to protect Donbas and the ongoing efforts of the Russian side to ensure the safety of civilians, including the organization of humanitarian corridors”, the statement added.
The issues of developing bilateral relations, including air transport and tourism, were considered. Particular satisfaction was expressed with the growth of trade and economic cooperation. It was agreed to continue the regular dialog.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Turkish President stressed the importance of maintaining the positive momentum in the Istanbul negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in order to achieve peace.
Last month, Istanbul hosted talks between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine to discuss contentious issues and find a way out of the conflict.
Several rounds of negotiations between the two sides had previously been held on the territory of Belarus, where an understanding had been reached on the provision of common humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and the delivery of food and medicine to those in need.
