Trump ready to meet with Putin in Turkey to discuss Ukraine, says Erdoğan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed willingness to visit Turkey if Russian President Vladimir Putin comes for peace agreements regarding Ukraine. Erdoğan made this statement after returning from The Hague, where the NATO summit took place.

“Our ultimate goal is to hold a meeting at the level of country leaders and achieve the long-awaited peace. I also informed President Trump about this during our meeting [in The Hague]. He said that if Russian President Vladimir Putin comes to Istanbul or Ankara for a settlement, he will also come to Istanbul or Ankara. We will establish the necessary contacts, and I hope we will meet as soon as possible,” Erdogan was quoted by the Anadolu Agency.

Erdoğan also stated that the negotiations held in Istanbul regarding Ukraine have opened the door to peace, and Turkey will make efforts to bring the parties closer as long as there is hope for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

“We firmly say that this war must end. The region can no longer tolerate it. Justice and lasting peace must be built in the region. Even if everyone abandons the desire for peace, we will not do so. Turkey places great importance and priority on diplomacy in resolving conflicts. Our region has already exhausted its quota of instability and conflicts. Now, it is necessary to ease the situation in our region and, consequently, in the entire world—by building stability and opening the doors to peace. Everyone is expecting this—especially from Turkey. Both Ukraine and Russia have repeatedly shown that they trust us,” Erdoğan stated.