Turkey seen as key venue for prolonged peace efforts in Ukraine – expert

This opinion was expressed in a comment to a Ukrinform correspondent by Hasan Öztürk, Editor-in-Chief of Ülke TV.

“First, the meeting [between U.S. President Donald Trump and Putin] in Alaska, then the meeting [between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and European leaders] in Washington show that the West… has adopted Trump’s view on the Russia-Ukraine war,” said Öztürk.

He recalled that the first meeting between the Presidents of Ukraine and the United States was tense, whereas the meeting with the participation of Western leaders was rather relaxed and positive.

“After the meeting in Washington, the focus now shifts to a Trump-Putin-Zelensky meeting. However, there may also be a bilateral meeting or a potential meeting between Putin and Zelensky. I believe that Turkey or other countries should persuade Putin. But it is more likely that the Trump-Putin-Zelensky trio, once they meet, will take a step toward lasting peace,” Öztürk noted.

He is convinced that such an agreement would not be sufficient to compensate Ukraine for its losses; therefore, the peace process cannot be quick, and Turkey may become the most suitable platform.

“The fact that Turkey maintains equal distance to both countries and has advocated peace from the very beginning gives hope that the Istanbul format could become the basis for a peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine. We also understand that, at the stage of preparing for peace, certain issues cannot be resolved for many years, such as the occupation of Crimea, which may remain an unresolved issue for the next generations,” Öztürk believes.

He is convinced that peace must be achieved fairly.

As reported by Ukrinform, earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that Turkey is closely monitoring the development of the peace process and supports approaches aimed at establishing a strong peace with the participation of all parties.

Photo: Hasan Öztürk/X.