Erdogan Plans Talks With Putin on Ending Ukraine War After Zelensky Meeting

Erdogan is proposing talks with Vladimir Putin to examine Russia’s position on ending the war in Ukraine. The proposal follows Erdogan’s meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul, where they discussed diplomatic steps toward peace. Turkey says it wants to create a path for negotiations rather than impose a settlement.

Erdogan said Turkey’s foreign minister and other officials were consulting Russian counterparts to prepare the possible meeting. He did not say when the talks would happen or whether they would be direct, formal, or part of a wider process. The planned contact would complement, rather than replace, Turkey’s discussions with Ukraine.

The proposal shows Ankara trying to engage both sides. Erdogan said Turkey would continue doing everything it can to open the way to peace. The immediate next step is preparation with Russian officials, while the broader effort also covers Black Sea security, civilian shipping, air defenses, and defense cooperation.

Acting as an intermediary means Turkey keeps channels open with both Russia and Ukraine while trying to reduce tensions and support negotiations. It does not mean Turkey controls either side’s decisions. Instead, Ankara can pass messages, offer meeting venues, and help discuss limited agreements that both countries may accept.

The article gives several examples. Turkey helped with the Black Sea Grain Initiative and negotiations involving exchanges of prisoners of war and detained civilians. It has also offered to host direct talks between the countries’ leaders. These efforts use Turkey’s diplomatic contacts and its location near the Black Sea.

The role remains difficult because Russia and Ukraine are still at war. Turkey supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity but also speaks with Russian officials. Its latest effort involves consulting Moscow after Erdogan’s meeting with Zelensky, while also seeking safer commercial shipping and wider diplomatic progress.

Erdogan and Zelensky discussed several practical issues beyond general peace negotiations. They examined ways to protect civilian shipping and ports in the Black Sea. They also discussed strengthening air defenses and expanding cooperation between their defense industries. These subjects matter because diplomacy depends partly on reducing threats around transport and population centers.

The Black Sea discussion is especially concrete. The article says attacks by Kyiv and Moscow on commercial vessels had increased in 2026, and Turkish vessels were among those targeted. Turkey therefore called for a mutual moratorium on attacks against commercial vessels. Such a pause would address a specific danger while broader negotiations continue.

The meeting did not produce a publicly announced settlement. Instead, it linked peace efforts with security measures and defense cooperation. Erdogan’s proposed conversation with Putin is intended to consider the Russian side, while Turkey continues discussions with Ukraine and works on possible maritime de-escalation.

Turkey’s earlier involvement shows how an intermediary can focus on practical agreements even when the larger war continues. The Black Sea Grain Initiative helped maintain a maritime route for agricultural exports during 2022 and 2023. Turkey also participated in negotiations involving exchanges of prisoners of war and detained civilians.

These efforts worked through specific arrangements rather than a complete peace agreement. Grain negotiations addressed the movement of commercial cargo through the Black Sea. Prisoner and civilian exchanges addressed people held by the opposing sides. Turkey’s role included diplomatic engagement and helping create conditions for talks.

The record explains why Ankara is again seeking contact with both governments. Turkey has offered to host direct talks and is consulting Russian officials after meeting Zelensky. Its past involvement does not mean the war is resolved, but it provides experience in handling narrow, urgent issues while wider peace discussions remain unsettled.

The source article does not state how much grain the Black Sea Grain Initiative allowed to be exported. Based on widely reported figures from the initiative, ships carried about 32.9 million metric tons of grain and other food products from Ukraine between 2022 and 2023. That figure is commonly rounded to roughly 33 million metric tons.

The wording needs care. The initiative mainly enabled Ukrainian exports through Black Sea corridors. It also addressed concerns about Russian agricultural and fertilizer exports, but there is no single comparable Russian grain total established by the article. The arrangement was therefore not simply an equal export quota for both countries.

The shipments mattered because Ukraine is a major agricultural supplier, and the agreement restored a route for food exports during wartime. Keeping that trade moving helped protect international food supplies and reduced pressure on vulnerable importers. The article itself mentions the initiative but provides no quantity.

A mutual moratorium on attacks against commercial vessels would mean Russia and Ukraine agree not to target merchant ships in the Black Sea. The practical goal would be de-escalation. Safer waters could help ships reach ports, protect crews, and reduce disruption to civilian trade. The article says Turkish vessels were among those targeted.

The mechanism is straightforward: both sides would refrain from attacks on commercial shipping, creating a limited safety arrangement even without a full ceasefire. That could protect ports and maritime routes discussed by Erdogan and Zelensky. It could also support the kind of trade represented by the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which operated in 2022 and 2023.

The effects would depend on whether both governments accepted and followed the pause. The article reports that Hakan Fidan called for such a moratorium in August, as Ankara restricted some commercial-vessel movement. No agreement is reported, so the proposal remains a diplomatic objective.

Turkey’s positions address different questions. Supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity means backing the principle that Ukraine’s borders and sovereignty should be respected. Maintaining relations with Russia means preserving communication with a major party to the war. These positions can coexist when diplomacy is used to seek an end to fighting.

The article illustrates this balance. Ankara has consistently supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity, yet Erdogan plans to consult Putin about the Russian side of peace efforts. Turkey has also worked with both countries on grain shipments, prisoner exchanges, and detained civilians. Its intermediary role requires access to both governments.

This approach gives Turkey a channel for proposing limited measures, such as protecting commercial vessels, while pursuing broader negotiations. It does not guarantee agreement. Erdogan’s planned Putin contact has no announced date or format, and the war continues. Turkey’s policy is therefore engagement with both sides while retaining support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity.