Ukraine has asked Turkey to host a Zelenskiy-Putin meeting, FM says
New Delhi: Ukraine has asked Turkey to host a potential meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as Kyiv looks to revive stalled peace negotiations, the country’s top diplomat said.
“We asked the Turks about it, we asked some other capitals,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in comments to reporters on Tuesday that were cleared for release on Wednesday.
He added that Kyiv is open to holding the meeting in any location except Belarus or Russia with Putin, which Zelenskiy has long pushed in hopes of accelerating an end to the more than four-year war.
Ukraine has ruled out Belarus as a venue due to its close alliance with Russia and its role in supporting Moscow’s 2022 invasion by allowing its territory to be used for military operations.
Sybiha did not disclose Turkey’s response to the proposal but reiterated that Ukraine is willing to consider any neutral location willing to host the talks.
“We addressed the Turks specifically,” he said. “But if another capital, besides Moscow and Belarus, organises such a meeting, we will go.”
The Kremlin has previously suggested Moscow as a venue for a meeting, an option Zelenskiy has rejected.
Separately, Sybiha said he has exchanged written messages with Anita Orban, who is set to become Hungary’s foreign minister under the country’s newly elected government, which won the election there earlier this month.
(DD News)
