Istanbul talks: Turkey's top diplomat to meet with Putin and Medinsky – Anadolu
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will visit Russia, where he will meet with Vladimir Putin and the dictator's associates, including Vladimir Medinsky, who led the Russian delegation at negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported, citing sources in the Turkish diplomatic service.
The interlocutors said that during his visit to the Russian Federation on May 26-27, Fidan will be received by Putin, and the official will also meet with the head of Kremlin diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov.
In addition, the sources added, the Turkish diplomat plans to hold bilateral talks with a number of senior Russian officials: in particular, with the dictator's aide Medinsky, who led the delegation at the talks in Istanbul on May 16, as well as with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov.
"The minister also intends to emphasize Turkey's commitment to achieving a just and lasting peace in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war, expressing satisfaction with the recent progress in this process. Hakan Fidan is expected to reaffirm Turkey's readiness to contribute as a mediator, as was already the case in 2022 and at the meeting on May 16, 2025," Anadolu reports.
According to media reports, in addition to the war, the meetings will discuss issues of bilateral relations between Ankara and Moscow, with special attention planned to be paid to the current situation in the trade, energy, and tourism sectors, as well as possible steps to deepen cooperation.
In addition, an exchange of views is expected on a number of regional and international issues, in particular the situation in Syria, the Gaza Strip, and the South Caucasus.
- On May 16, Ukraine and Russia held talks in Istanbul – the only real agreement after the meeting was a major prisoner exchange.
- On May 23, Foreign Minister Sybiha said that Ukraine still considers the Vatican as a platform for negotiations with Russia. At the same time, the Russian dictator's ally Lavrov spoke out against this idea.
