Foreign Minister Fidan Praises Russia And Ukraine For Fighting Turkey As A Mediator

Russia-Ukraine Negotiations at the Ciragan Palace Istanbul. (Source: Alexander Ryumin / TASS)

JAKARTA - Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan thanked Russia and Ukraine negotiators for exchanging proposals for a possible ceasefire during the second round of talks hosted by Turkey, a cautious move forward in an attempt to end the war.

In a statement following negotiations at the Ciragan Palace, Istanbul Monday, Foreign Minister Fidan said the two parties shared a written note outlining the vision for a ceasefire and would begin technical-level work on the documents in the coming days.

"I would like to reiterate my gratitude to the two countries for their unshakable trust in Turkey in this historic process," said Foreign Minister Fidan on X, quoted by the Daily Sabah on June 3.

He added that the two delegates also agreed to expand the humanitarian exchange and that preparations for a possible summit of leaders were underway.

We hosted the second round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

The talks were held in a constructive atmosphere, and the parties built on the points they had agreed upon during the first meeting. The humanitarian exchange is being expanded to include new categories and… pic.twitter.com/X1AH2CH2iF

— Hakan Fidan (@HakanFidan) June 2, 2025

We hosted the second round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

The talks were held in a constructive atmosphere, and the parties built on the points they had agreed upon during the first meeting. The humanitarian exchange is being expanded to include new categories and ... pic.twitter.com/X1AH2CH2iF

Foreign Minister Fidan further welcomed the constructive tone of the meeting, reaffirming Turkey's commitment to facilitating a result-oriented peace process.

Kyiv demanded an unconditional ceasefire as a first step, while Moscow approved a ceasefire with conditions that included Western countries not supplying weapons to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian delegation handed over to Russian negotiators a list of children Moscow wants to return to Ukraine, Ukraine's Chief of Staff President Andriy Yermak said after the meeting.

The talks were meant to discuss a three-year way out of Russia's war against Ukraine, but both sides appeared to be far from agreeing before starting negotiations.

Previously, Turkey also believed to hold a Russia-Ukraine meeting at the Domabance Palace, also in Istanbul on May 16. The negotiations resulted in the exchange of the largest prisoners during the war, with each side releasing 1,000 prisoners, but there were no signs of peace or a ceasefire, as it only stated the position of their opening negotiations, which was very contradictory.

Last week, Foreign Minister Fidan held a separate meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.

Prior to this year's negotiations, Russia and Ukraine also held negotiations in Belarus and Turkey at the beginning of the March 2022 war.