Russia on Friday rejected Turkey’s offer to host a meeting between the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and the United States. The proposed meeting was intended to advance a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv.Turkey, a member of Nato has striven to maintain an equidistant relationship with both Kyiv and Moscow in the wake of Russian invasion of Ukraine. And has become a key mediator in the conflict on the back of warm relations fostered by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with both Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin. This comes amidst the push by the US President Donald Trump for a deal to end the over three-year war. “We sincerely think that it is possible to cap the first and second direct Istanbul talks with a meeting between Mr Trump, Mr Putin and Mr Zelenskyy, under the direction of Mr Erdogan,” Turkey’s foreign minister Hakan Fidan said during a visit to Kyiv.“We can either close our eyes to the continuation of this war, or to reach a durable peace before the end of the year,” Fidan said. “Expectations for a cease-fire and peace have increased.”The Kremlin has been pushing back against any idea of face to face meeting Putin and Zelenskyy. “President Putin has repeatedly stated that he is fundamentally in favor of high-level contacts,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding: “But first, results must be achieved through direct negotiations between the two countries.” Fidan who held talks with Putin earlier thIs week in Moscow, met Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiga in Kyiv, and was due to meet President Zelenskyy.“Progress can certainly be made as long as we remain at the negotiating table,” added Fidan before meeting the Ukrainian President. Russia has agreed to send a team of negotiators to Istanbul for a second round of direct talks with Ukraine on Monday. Kyiv said it is open to further discussions, but didn’t confirm if it will be in Istanbul next week. At their first meeting in over three years, held in Istanbul on May 16, both sides agreed to exchange documents proposing potential paths to peace.While the Kremlin reiterated on Friday that it would present its version during Monday’s talks, Kyiv is urging Moscow to share the document ahead of time.
