Turkey Offers to host second-round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia

Turkey has put forward an offer to host a summit bringing together the presidents of the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine, aiming to help move closer to ending the three-year conflict in Ukraine.

As a NATO member, Turkey has worked to balance its ties with both Kyiv and Moscow, positioning itself as a crucial mediator while U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for a resolution to the conflict.

"We sincerely think that it is possible to cap the first and second direct Istanbul talks with a meeting between Mr. Trump, Mr. (Vladimir) Putin and M. (Volodymyr) Zelensky, under the direction of Mr. (Recep Tayyip Erdogan)," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said while on a visit to Kyiv.

"We can either close our eyes to the continuation of this war, or to reach a durable peace before the end of the year," Fidan said. "Expectations for a ceasefire and peace have increased."

"Progress can certainly be made as long as we remain at the negotiating table," added Fidan, who was to meet with Zelensky in Kyiv later in the day.

Earlier this week he held talks with senior officials in Moscow.

After the first-round talks in Istanbul ended in disappointment, U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled he’s losing patience with Putin and is starting to doubt Moscow’s willingness to make peace.