Fidan, Putin discuss Ukraine war, bilateral issues

MOSCOW

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held meetings with senior Russian officials in Moscow on May 26, including President Vladimir Putin, amid intensified efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine following historic talks between the two warring sides in Istanbul.

Putin-Fidan meeting started at 7.30 p.m. local time (1630 GMT) and lasted approximately one hour, diplomatic sources said.

They said the meeting addressed recent initiatives aimed at ending the war between Ukraine and Russia, as well as developments following peace talks held in Istanbul on May 16.

Putin and Fidan also discussed bilateral issues in the fields of economy and energy.

Fidan arrived in Moscow on May 26 for a two-day trip, according to a statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

On his first day, aside from Putin, Fidan met with his aide Vladimir Medinsky and Foreign Intelligence Service head Sergey Narishkin, according to the sources.

Fidan will meet his counterpart Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on May 27.

The sources have underlined that Fidan and his interlocutors discussed all aspects of bilateral relations, regional and global matters, particularly the ongoing war and the situation in the Middle East.

Fidan’s trip to Moscow comes after Türkiye hosted the first direct talks between the two warring parties in Istanbul after three years.

Before Fidan’s meetings, Kremlin spokesman Sergey Peskov expressed Russia’s gratitude for Türkiye over the meetings in Istanbul.

“We are grateful to Türkiye for providing ideal conditions for the negotiations in Istanbul,” Peskov stressed, informing that Ukraine will be the top issue during talks with Fidan.

Peskov also said necessary works should be done for the next round of talks with Ukraine but described the process as uncertain.

Türkiye proposes to serve as an honest broker between Russia and Ukraine.

Erdoğan, in his telephone conversations with U.S. President Donald Trump and Putin as well as with Ukraine President Volodymir Zelensky, who came to Ankara in mid-May, reiterated Ankara’s readiness to contribute to peace and stability in the region.