Putin Praises Turkey’s Role in Ukraine Talks

TDT | Manama

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During a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in China on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Turkey’s efforts to mediate the conflict in Ukraine. The talks took place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

“I’m confident that Turkey’s special role in these matters will continue to be in demand,” Putin said. He also noted that the three rounds of direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul have made some progress on humanitarian issues, such as prisoner exchanges and returning soldiers’ bodies.

However, the talks have not led to any major breakthroughs in the war, which began over three and a half years ago. Russia has demanded that Ukraine formally cede four regions that Moscow claims to have annexed—a move Kyiv has strongly rejected. Ukraine has also criticized Russia for sending low-level officials to the Istanbul talks, who have limited authority to make decisions.

Meanwhile, former U.S. President Donald Trump has called for a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Moscow, however, says such a meeting would be premature until key issues are resolved.

Russia’s full-scale invasion, which started in February 2022, has caused widespread destruction in eastern and southern Ukraine and resulted in tens of thousands of deaths among soldiers and civilians.