Putin-Zelenskyy meeting in Istanbul could have been historic chance – Erdogan

The possibility of a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and russian dictator vladimir putin in Istanbul was seen as a historic chance.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated this, according to the Hurriyet website.

According to him, Turkey has no hesitation in facilitating the negotiations, but the main player in these negotiations is putin.

"Trump is also a dominant player. Zelenskyy is in the same situation," Erdogan said.

The Turkish President believes that the meeting of the Ukrainian and russian delegations in Istanbul is extremely important for ending the war and establishing peace in the region. He also stressed that he has been making intensive efforts from the very beginning to end the war and achieve a just peace.

Erdogan said that Turkey and other countries are offering methods and "ground" for the war to end. According to him, it is necessary to "silence the guns and speak diplomacy."

"It is necessary to start peace negotiations, and this opportunity cannot be missed. This war cannot be ended with the help of weapons. Our greatest desire is to achieve a final result of peace negotiations. Therefore, we are determined to continue our mediation role to put an end to this war. We will make every effort to ensure that the channels of dialogue remain open and negotiations between the parties continue," Erdogan said.

Recall, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was ready for a personal meeting with putin on May 15, but he refused to come. Instead, the dictator sent a delegation led by his assistant Vladimir Medinsky.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on May 16, the first direct negotiations in three years between the delegations of Ukraine and russia were held in Istanbul. The negotiations lasted a little over an hour, but the parties did not reach an agreement on a ceasefire.

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