Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced plans on Friday to engage in high-stakes diplomacy by coordinating calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump. The discussions aim to explore hosting a potential Ukraine peace summit in Istanbul, following recent multilateral negotiations.
"We will seek to hold further talks with Mr. Putin and also with Mr. Trump this week," Erdogan told reporters, emphasizing Turkey\u2019s role as a mediator. "Bringing these leaders together in Istanbul remains our priority."
The announcement comes after Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held separate meetings with Russian and Ukrainian delegations ahead of Wednesday\u2019s third-round peace talks. While both sides agreed to another prisoner exchange, disagreements persisted over ceasefire terms and the logistics of a potential presidential summit.
Ukrainian negotiators proposed a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by late August, suggesting Trump and Erdogan\u2019s participation would add \u201cstrategic weight\u201d to discussions. However, Russian representatives maintained that such a summit requires \u201cpreliminary conditions\u201d to be met first.
Analysts note Turkey\u2019s growing influence in Eurasian security matters, with Istanbul emerging as a neutral ground for conflict resolution. The developments coincide with heightened global attention on Asian and European energy markets, where shifting geopolitical alliances could impact trade routes.
