Ankara Offers to Host Peace Talks Between Moscow and Kyiv

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced today, Thursday, that his country is ready to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, affirming Ankara's commitment to a mediating role to end the war through a "just peace".

The Turkish presidency stated in a statement that Erdoğan, at the request of the French side, had a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, discussing a number of regional and international issues, including bilateral relations between Ankara and Paris, the peace process between Moscow and Kyiv, and humanitarian developments in Gaza.

Erdoğan clarified that Turkey is closely following the meetings that recently took place in Alaska and Washington regarding the Ukrainian crisis, adding that his country is "ready to host all efforts made to advance the peace talks".

The Turkish president also renewed his call for a ceasefire in Gaza, warning of the worsening humanitarian disaster there, and demanding the need to "restrain Israel, which is accelerating its plan to invade the sector".

The two leaders agreed to continue the discussion at the upcoming United Nations summit in New York, while Erdoğan emphasized the importance of developing cooperation with France, especially in the defense industry.