The head of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan, confirmed Istanbul's willingness to act as a mediator in a new round of negotiations between Ukraine and Moscow. He noted that three rounds of negotiations have already led to important results, such as the exchange of prisoners and the restoration of direct dialogue between the parties. The representative stated: 'We sincerely believe that diplomacy remains the only way to achieve a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Ukraine.'
Progress of negotiations in Istanbul
In May and June 2025, negotiations took place in Istanbul between the delegations of Ukraine and Russia. The Russian side demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from certain territories and even threatened to occupy Kharkiv and Sumy regions. However, during the next negotiations on June 2, the parties agreed on a significant exchange of prisoners in several stages across different categories.
Turkey confirmed its readiness to assist in the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, which has already yielded the first important results. Istanbul can become a peacekeeping venue for discussing the conflict and finding a compromise between the parties.