Ukraine supports the idea of a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and has reached out to Turkey and several other countries for assistance in organizing the leaders' meeting, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga told reporters, LETA reports citing Interfax-Ukraine.
According to the minister, the Ukrainian side supports such a meeting to "give a new diplomatic impetus."
"We have made this request to the Turkish side, as well as to several other capitals. We have reached out to Turkey. But if such a meeting is organized by another capital, not Moscow and not Belarus, we will go. And this is important for us," Sibiga noted.
On April 17, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in a speech at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, confirmed Ankara's readiness to facilitate direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, including high-level talks, if both sides are willing.
Earlier, Sibiga confirmed Ukraine's readiness for a summit of the leaders of Ukraine and Russia with the participation of the Turkish president and possibly the United States.
On Friday, during a discussion at the Antalya Forum, Sibiga stated that Ukraine is counting on "our Turkish friends, for example, in organizing a meeting at the leaders' level."
"Therefore, we are ready for this meeting. Including in Turkey. I am talking about a meeting between Zelensky, Putin, Erdoğan, and possibly Trump. We conveyed this message to our Turkish friends during my president's recent visit," Sibiga noted.
