Erdogan: Russia, Ukraine not ready for initiative to continue Istanbul process

Russia and Ukraine are not ready for an initiative to continue the Istanbul process, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told journalists while returning from his visit to China, Report informs.

The president noted that during the bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, they discussed the work that could be done to end the Ukraine-Russia war with a fair peace:

"Cooperation in the energy sector was the main topic of our meeting. As Türkiye, we have constantly kept on the agenda from day one that the Russia-Ukraine war could be ended through negotiations. The talks held in Istanbul are the most obvious proof that this path is open. Gradually raising the level of discussions is the main path we desire. It is necessary to turn the hope for peace into a process aimed at solutions that will yield concrete results. Therefore, it is important that we address this issue at the leadership level."

Erdogan emphasized that he observed positive aspects in the approaches of the Russian and Ukrainian presidents: "When we said 'there could be an initiative in Türkiye for the continuation of the Istanbul process,' Mr. Zelenskyy's position on this issue was 'Why not?' However, they are not ready for this yet."