Türkiye ready to mediate Ukraine peace talks, says Turkish FM

Türkiye is ready to act as a mediator in efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine or provide a platform for negotiations, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said during talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.

“I would like to touch upon the conflict in Ukraine. Once again, I would like to emphasise that our country, Türkiye, is ready to do everything within its power. This includes a mediating role — either acting as a mediator itself or providing a platform for mediation so that this war can come to an end. This destabilisation and escalation could lead to a further expansion of the war, which is why every effort must be made to bring it to an end,” Fidan stated.

He also stressed that Türkiye and Russia continue to strengthen bilateral ties and are moving toward a more institutionalised framework for cooperation in line with the objectives set by the leaders of both countries.

“Relations between Russia and Türkiye continue to develop and strengthen in the directions defined by our leaders. These relations are reaching a level of institutionalisation,” he noted.

During the meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow expects the next session of the Russia–Türkiye Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation to take place before the end of 2026.

“Trade and economic ties [between Russia and Türkiye] continue to develop,” Lavrov said. “We expect that the 20th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation will be held before the end of the year.”

By Jeyhun Aghazada