With the war in Ukraine dragging on and peace still feeling out of reach, Turkey is throwing its hat back in the ring—this time offering to host a top-level peace summit between the key players.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan believes now is the time to act, and he’s making it clear that Turkey is ready to open its doors and set the stage for meaningful diplomacy.
Erdogan Says the Time for Peace Talks Is Now
In an interview with Turkish broadcaster TRT Haber, Erdogan didn’t mince words. “This war needs to end now,” he said.
And he wasn’t just making a generic appeal for peace—he offered something concrete.
“Just like we hosted negotiations in Istanbul before, we’re ready again.
We hope a table of peace will be set in Turkey soon and this bloody war will finally come to an end.”
His message was one of urgency and readiness, aiming to position Turkey as the go-to location for renewed global diplomacy.
Turkey’s Track Record as Mediator
Erdogan made a point of highlighting Turkey’s role as a steady mediator since the very beginning of the conflict.
He said Ankara has consistently pursued a “balanced, fair, and peace-oriented policy.”
And he’s not wrong—Turkey played a key part in brokering the grain corridor deal out of Ukrainian ports, coordinated prisoner swaps, and hosted previous rounds of peace talks in Istanbul and Antalya.
It’s this kind of track record that Erdogan hopes will lend credibility to his latest pitch for a high-level summit.
Face-to-Face Talks Finally Resumed This Year
After a long diplomatic freeze, direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine finally resumed in May 2025.
It marked the first time in over a year that both sides came back to the same table.
There have already been three rounds of talks—on May 16, June 2, and July 23.
The first meeting led to a significant prisoner exchange, where both countries agreed to release 1,000 detainees each.
The second session turned to more sensitive matters like repatriating the war dead and outlining early peace frameworks.
Russia and Ukraine Still Miles Apart on Core Issues
Despite some progress, there’s still a massive gulf between Moscow and Kyiv’s demands.
Russia wants a big package: international recognition of the annexed territories (including Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson), total withdrawal of Ukrainian forces, and a commitment that Ukraine will remain neutral and non-nuclear.
Ukraine, meanwhile, has drawn a hard line: no negotiations without a full ceasefire first.
Kyiv also wants solid international guarantees for its future security and refuses to recognize any of Russia’s territorial claims, whether from 2014 or the current conflict.
Ukraine suggests using the present battle lines as a launchpad for talks—but without giving up territory.
Turkey Hopes to Bridge the Gap
Even with both sides deeply entrenched in their positions, Erdogan is hoping to pull off the impossible.
His call for a peace summit isn’t just symbolic—it’s a calculated move to make Turkey central to the process of ending the war.
And while no official invitations have been sent out just yet, Erdogan’s public push is a clear sign that Ankara wants to get the world talking again—face to face, on Turkish soil.
