Ankara, Feb 18 (UNI) Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told US Special Presidential Envoy for Russia and Ukraine Keith Kellogg and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference that Ankara was ready to host peace talks on Ukraine, the Turkiye daily reported on Tuesday.
Fidan also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. He told the Ukrainians that Turkey wanted to be part of the peace process.
The top Turkish diplomat reportedly argued that Ankara could contribute more to the talks than other actors because of its close relationship with both sides of the conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump spoke over the phone for nearly an hour and a half last week. They discussed issues related to the exchange of Russian and US citizens, as well as the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. The call was followed up by in-person talks between senior Russian and US officials in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Tuesday.
