Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday that he might be willing to meet face-to-face with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a country other than Russia, suggesting Turkey as a possible option, but stressed that his country must first receive sufficient security guarantees.
“We want to understand the architecture of security guarantees within 7-10 days. And based on that understanding, our goal is to hold a trilateral meeting (with Putin and Trump),” Zelenskyy said. “Switzerland, Austria… We agree… For us, Turkey is a NATO country and part of Europe, and we would not oppose it,” the Ukrainian president was quoted as saying by several media including the Anatolia news agency, as he discussed possible venues for such a future meeting, which would also include US President Donald Trump.
The Ukrainian leader nevertheless expressed doubts about Russia’s real intentions and the Kremlin’s willingness to seek peace, recalling that the Russian army continues to build up troops along the southern front line in Zaporizhzhia: “The enemy is getting stronger,” he said. “We can see how they continue to move part of their troops from the Kursk front towards Zaporizhzhia,” he added.
Regarding a possible role for China in the peace talks, Zelenskyy ruled out a role for Beijing as a security guarantor because of its support for the Russian government: “First of all, China did not help us from the beginning to stop this war; secondly, China has supported Russia by opening its drone market. We don’t need guarantors who don’t help Ukraine and who didn’t help it when we really needed it,” the Ukrainian president stressed.
Turkey calls for ceasefire before sending in troops
Turkish Defence Ministry sources quoted by the Turkish press said on Thursday that a lasting ceasefire must be established between Russia and Ukraine before considering the deployment of troops (which could be sent by Turkey) on the ground on Ukrainian territory as a peacekeeping force, as part of the security guarantees demanded by Ukraine.
“It is necessary first to ensure a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, and then to establish the framework of a (peace) mission with a clear mandate, and to clarify to what extent each country will contribute,” the source said when asked whether Turkey would consider sending troops to Ukraine as part of a peace mission to the region. The same source reiterated that Ankara supports any initiative aimed at achieving a permanent peace in Ukraine, but warned against any kind of speculation that could hinder or even end the process.
Zelenskyy’s remarks come a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a telephone conversation with Putin in which the two discussed the war situation in Ukraine and efforts to end the conflict. Russia, which has proposed Moscow as the venue for a face-to-face meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, has in recent hours accused Ukraine of not seeking “long-term peace” and called the idea of European troops being deployed on Ukrainian soil “unacceptable“.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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