Turkey Urges Russia-Ukraine to Resume Istanbul Talks

JAKARTA - Turkey believes that continuing the process carried out through the Istanbul talks on the Russia-Ukraine war will be very beneficial, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday.

"I believe it would be very useful if the Istanbul talks mediated by Turkey on the Russian-Ukrainian war were continued within the same framework," Foreign Minister Fidan said at a joint press conference in Kyiv with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Anadolu (16/7) reported.

Foreign Minister Fidan said Turkey was exploring a new strategic approach to break the current deadlock in the conflict, and that new ideas were being discussed with the parties and mediators.

He stressed the importance of continuing the meeting without interruption, saying: "The fact that the war continues does not mean that negotiations in this format cannot continue."

According to him, after the Istanbul talks, US negotiators engaged in efforts to determine what could be done to achieve more final and tangible results.

"Unfortunately, to this day, the war is still going on and the risk of escalation is increasing," added Foreign Minister Fidan.

Turkey hosted peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, first in the early weeks of the ongoing war and then in mid-2025.

Foreign Minister Fidan said the risk of conflict spreading, which Turkey had warned about since the beginning of the war, remained a serious threat.

He noted that tensions were increasing in various ways and developments that threatened the security of the Black Sea were increasing these concerns.

"We don't want the war to spread to the Black Sea," he said.

"Targeting ports, tankers, and fishing boats in the Black Sea and endangering the lives of civilians is unjustifiable," he continued.

Foreign Minister Fidan said one of the main pillars of any potential peace agreement is security guarantees for Ukraine, which include land, sea, and air components.

Regarding Turkey's role, Fidan said: "Turkey has agreed to lead the maritime component, and we have a common understanding of this with our allies. Planning efforts on this issue are also being carried out by the navies of the relevant allied countries."