Erdogan meets Russian FM as Turkiye pushes for Russia-Ukraine peace talks

ANKARA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov here on Monday as Turkiye intensified its efforts to mediate a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict.

"Regarding Russia-Ukraine peace talks, we are ready to provide all kinds of support, including hosting the negotiations, to ensure a lasting peace," Erdogan told reporters after a cabinet meeting following his meeting with Lavrov.

"We want this war, which has cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and caused both countries to pay a heavy price, to come to an end," he said.

Referring to a meeting last week between US and Russian delegations in Saudi Arabia on ending the conflict, he cautioned that a just and lasting peace can only be achieved through an inclusive process.

"A fair and lasting peace can only be reached through a framework that includes all relevant parties," he said, stressing that peace talks excluding any side of the conflicting parties could result in unsuccessful outcomes.

The Turkish leader reiterated his position that Ukraine should also be invited to negotiations and stated that he had conveyed this stance to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Lavrov.

Earlier in the day, Lavrov also held discussions with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

At a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Lavrov said Russia remains open to negotiations on ending the Ukraine conflict, but will not stop its military operations until those negotiations "produce a firm and sustainable result that suits" Russia.