Turkish Foreign Minister: Istanbul is an "ideal player" for Ukraine-Russia talks
Hakan Fidan (Photo: EPA/PAVEL BEDNYAKOV)

Turkey is an "ideal player" to facilitate negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to end the war. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told journalists on his way to Kyiv., Anadolu Ajansı.

"Given the current circumstances, the parties need a place where they can meet face to face and sit down to negotiate. In this respect, Turkey is actually an ideal player," Fidan said .

He noted that any diplomatic success depends on the willingness of the parties to negotiate and achieve results. For example, he cited the 1000 for 1000 exchange, which he called "an important step.".

Another "important step" is the official written statement of each side's position on the ceasefire and their transmission to each other. The so-called "memorandum," which Russia, by the way, has not yet provided to either the United States or Ukraine.

Fidan called on the parties to officially announce and present their positions in the negotiations.

He also said that during his visit to Russia, the Turkish side once again emphasized its efforts to end the full-scale war.

"As a major regional country, we not only tried to stop the war from the very beginning, but also closely followed all its dimensions. We shared our views on what realistic parameters could make a ceasefire possible," he said .

The Foreign Minister confirmed that he will meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and discuss Turkey's position, as he did before in Russia.

"As I said, as soon as the negotiation process begins, we will see that the situation is beginning to take on a more optimistic outlook. Both sides, in principle, want a ceasefire," he said .

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