Fidan meets Kyiv counterpart before Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul; China, Brazil hail dialogue

ANKARA — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha on May 14 in Turkiye’s city of Antalya before the Russia-Ukraine peace talks scheduled in Istanbul from May 15.

According to a report by Turkiye’s state-run Anadolu Agency, Fidan told Sybiha that Turkiye is ready to provide all kinds of support, including holding talks, to help achieve peace.

After the meeting, Sybiha wrote on the social media platform X that he and Fidan thoroughly discussed ways to advance a “meaningful peace process”.

“I reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to peace, our immediate and unconditional readiness for a full and durable ceasefire, as well as our offer of the highest-level direct meeting between Ukraine and Russia,” he wrote.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 11 proposed resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul. That same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated he would be prepared to meet with Putin in Istanbul.

Earlier on May 14, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said that the Russian delegation would address political and technical issues at the upcoming talks, and the topics on the agenda would guide the selection of the delegation.

The delegation will be led by Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky. It also includes Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Igor Kostyukov, chief of the main directorate of the general staff of the Russian army, and Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin. A list of four experts was also approved for the talks.

On May 13, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his support for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Ankara, according to the Turkish presidency.

Erdogan said that Turkiye is stepping up its diplomatic efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace, noting that he has spoken with both Putin and Zelensky.

Erdogan emphasized that Turkiye maintains its neutral stance in the conflict and urged that the opportunity for peace should not be missed.

US President Donald Trump, while in Saudi Arabia on May 13, offered to join the Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul, triggering a flurry of diplomacy. But after Russia released its list of participants without Putin, a US official told the media that Trump would not attend.

In Beijing on May 13, China and Brazil issued a joint statement on the Ukraine crisis, welcoming Putin’s proposal to open peace talks and Zelensky’s positive response.

The statement said China and Brazil hope Russia and Ukraine will begin a direct dialogue as soon as possible, which is the only way to end the conflict.

It said that China and Brazil commend recent signals of willingness to engage in dialogue on the Ukraine crisis, and expect relevant parties to initiate fruitful negotiations, build a greater consensus to achieve a political settlement, and address the legitimate concerns of all parties.

China and Brazil believe it is necessary to find a solution to the Ukraine crisis by examining its root cause, aimed at reaching a fair, lasting, and binding peace agreement.

The statement said that to achieve that goal, China and Brazil in May 2024 called on all relevant parties to create the conditions for resumption of dialogue, and launched the Group of Friends for Peace at the United Nations last September.