Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who is visiting the Ukrainian capital Kiev, proposed today that Turkey host a meeting between US President Donald Trump, Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, Anadolu Agency and world agencies reported, BTA reports.
We are considering whether the talks in Istanbul could end with a meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelensky, hosted by (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan, Fidan said.
At a press conference in Kiev, the Turkish foreign minister indicated that the talks between Russia and Ukraine on May 16 in Istanbul - the first direct talks between the two countries in three years - mark a new beginning, adding that he believes further meetings are possible.
In Istanbul, the two sides reached an agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war and to present their views on a possible future ceasefire. The prisoner exchange process ended on May 25.
Russia has proposed that the next round of direct talks with Ukraine be held in Istanbul on June 2.
Fidan expressed hope that a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine can be achieved this year.
Either we will allow this war to continue, or we will achieve a lasting peace within this year, the Turkish foreign minister said, as quoted by the Anadolu Agency.
He added that he hopes for concrete results from the talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2.