Sybiha says Zelenskyy-Putin meeting could be mediated by Erdoğan

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said a meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin may be needed to end the war, either with Donald Trump taking part or mediated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told RBC-Ukraine on Oct. 12 that a meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin would be the most effective step to give new momentum to the peace process, saying it could happen “either together with Trump or through the mediation of President Erdoğan.” “We are ready for this,” he said.

Sybiha said Kyiv had repeatedly declared its readiness for a trilateral U.S.-Russia-Ukraine meeting and wanted one as soon as possible, adding that leaders’ talks could at the very least deliver a cease-fire, a prisoner exchange and the return of Ukrainian children.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (file photo)

Ankara’s role, Kremlin’s answer

Erdoğan reaffirmed in a phone call with Putin last week Türkiye’s readiness to help establish direct dialogue between Russia and Ukraine. Istanbul has hosted meetings between Russian and Ukrainian delegations throughout the war. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected Zelenskyy’s proposed 60-day cease-fire the same day, saying Moscow wants “long-term peace.”