Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Thursday as Türkiye stepped up efforts to revive stalled peace negotiations aimed at ending the war with Russia.
The closed-door meeting took place during Fidan's two-day visit to the Ukrainian capital, where discussions focused on ways to restart diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the conflict.
After the meeting, Zelenskyy thanked Türkiye - and Fidan personally - for its efforts to "bring peace closer".
He also awarded Türkiye's top diplomat Ukraine's prestigious Order of Merit, citing his "outstanding personal contribution" to strengthening ties between Kyiv and Ankara.
The meeting came shortly after Fidan held separate talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, followed by a joint press conference.
Speaking to reporters, Fidan called for the resumption of direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations, reiterating Türkiye's readiness to host a new round of talks between the warring parties.
Throughout the conflict, now in its fifth year, Türkiye has sought to position itself as a key mediator, maintaining ties with both Moscow and Kyiv while consistently voicing support for Ukraine's territorial integrity.
In 2022, Ankara hosted Russian and Ukrainian delegations for direct negotiations in Istanbul.
Later that year, Türkiye helped broker the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allowed Ukrainian grain exports to reach global markets before Russia withdrew from the agreement in 2023.
Following Fidan's remarks, however, the Kremlin appeared to dampen expectations of an imminent diplomatic breakthrough.
A Kremlin spokesperson thanked Türkiye for its efforts to facilitate dialogue but said there was little prospect of negotiations resuming, at least in the short term.
The contrasting messages underscore the challenges facing Ankara as it seeks to revive diplomacy more than four years into the conflict.
Alongside efforts to advance peace, Fidan's discussions in Kyiv also covered relations between Ukraine and Türkiye, which continue to maintain close economic and defence ties despite Ankara's ongoing engagement with Moscow.
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