Erdogan urges new Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul

ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday urged Ukraine and Russia to return to negotiations in Istanbul where their last round of talks on ending the war was held in July.

“In today’s meetings, we also emphasised the need for the Istanbul process to continue with a pragmatic and results-oriented approach,” Erdogan told a news conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ankara.

“We also expect all our partners who wish to see the bloodshed in the region come to an end to adopt a constructive approach toward the Istanbul process,” he said.

Istanbul hosted three rounds of talks by top negotiators from Ukraine and Russia between May and July that failed to yield anything more than large-scale prisoner exchanges.

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Zelensky said he hoped to resume prisoner swaps with Russia by the end of this year.

“We hope to restore exchanges by the end of the year, to bring back a significant number of prisoners,” he said.

Erdogan pointed to the intensified attacks in the war as a reason to revive the talks.

“In particular, the increasing attacks on energy infrastructure and the resulting loss of life are bringing about irreparable destruction for both parties,” he said.

“We are of the view that revitalising the Istanbul process with a more comprehensive framework – one that can address the now-acute issues – would be beneficial.”

Erdogan, who also has friendly ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, added: “We are always ready to discuss proposals” with Moscow that would lead to a ceasefire and lasting peace.

“In this regard, we also value the involvement of our ally, the United States, in the process,” he said.